


Resident Evil: Degeneration - Unfinished Business

by ffdarkwolf77



Category: Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 23:27:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3152255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ffdarkwolf77/pseuds/ffdarkwolf77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Leon left Angela after the events of Degeneration, she thought she had seen the last of him. However, with a spate of disappearances the two of them find themselves thrown together facing a new but strangely familiar threat. (posted from ffic.net under same name)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Move

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! So I started this fic on ffic.net back in 2010 and it had been dormant essentially over the past few years with the occasional update and me saying I promise I'll get around to updating soon! I'm terrible I know, but I have now revived it with a vengeance!. Anyway, I really like the layout of AO3 and decided to post here as well. I've found that my chapters have a lot of Angela's POV etc. (...huh I totally did not realise that till I wrote it down), but since having my wonderful epiphany just now, I'll try to make sure I incorporate more Leon. I think part of me was annoyed that the female character doesn't get to kick as much butt as I would have liked, which is why I focus so much on her. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, I've been enjoying getting back into seriously writing this again (and getting sleep deprived because I don't want to go to sleep until the chapter is finished!)

As an officer in the S.R.T forces, she had been exposed to a lot of traumatising things, but this time, everything was too close to home and the loss, heartbreak, and guilt was wearing her out. Some people still believed that her brother was the villain and didn’t understand that in the end he was a victim as well. She knew she couldn’t absolve him of what he’d done, but they were so quick to judge. It’s not easy dealing with the aftermath of suddenly losing all your family and she wished he had turned to her after the Raccoon City tragedy instead of distancing himself. Maybe then he would still be alive and she wouldn’t be completely alone right now. She had no family left and while her friends had been a great support, they had their own families to look after. She just…wanted to wipe the slate clean.

“A transfer?” repeated Jack. “Why now, after all these months have passed? I thought you were fine.”

Angela Miller was standing in front of the Chief of the Special Response Team in Harvardville. She had pretended that she was coping, trying to fool herself into believing that everything was ‘fine’, but she hadn’t succeeded. She had felt abandoned and bitter, inadequate. She couldn’t help her brother and Leon, who she thought could relate to about her experience, didn’t appear to share the same connection; she hadn’t heard from him since he left and she wasn’t sure which scenario she wanted to believe. She wanted to feel better, but she kept re-living that night, her brother’s turning and then his horrible death. She was through with riding an emotional roller-coaster, with its highs and lows. She wanted things to be the way they used to be, when she at least knew Curtis was alive and she didn’t keep wondering whether a man she barely knew was alive or not. So, she had stuck to her old routine believing that it would eventually stop feeling alien to her. The team had believed the act, but it wasn’t working for her. It was her fault though for not letting them know how much she’d really been affected, but she couldn’t seem to express how she felt inside. She didn’t really seem to have words for all the emotions, or lack of, but sometimes it felt like she was sinking…or drowning. 

“I’ve been an idiot all this time, Jack. Fooling myself into thinking that with how things had changed I needed a constant in my life. I followed the same patterns every day, but I didn’t try to fix anything. I’m sick of going through the motions, but I need an escape from my thoughts and this place.”

Jack wasn’t expecting such a raw response from her and it had really surprised him since they had never really been on the best of terms. He didn’t say anything for a while, just studied her as he tried to respond to her sincerely. She didn’t look unwell, but she looked a bit tired. He had often thought she was spirited and passionate about her job and now, though she was still a hard worker, she was evidently lacking that spark she used to have before. In the end, even if he could think of something to make her feel better, he doubted that it would help coming from him, “Well, I know that you’ve been through a lot, but I assumed that since there haven’t been any issues brought to my attention that you were coping alright. I guess we should have realised that perhaps you were acting…too normal considering. I’m sorry that things turned out this way Angela, but I hope you’ll be able to make it through this difficult period; good officers are always in demand.”

Angela was shocked to hear Jack’s words. It was a compliment from the indifferent villain of their squad. Not many on her team had viewed him favourably as he had kept them on a short leash when they had undertaken extracurricular activities to uncover conspiracies related to WilPharma. As she had been unsure of what to say she looked at him a bit warily in silence as she contemplated what to say to the usually stoic man. 

As the silence stretched Jack spoke up, “You don’t have to look at me like that. I’m your commanding officer and it’s my job to make sure you all stay safe. In my case that has included threats outside of the field, even though you lot never saw it that way. Remember that when you go chasing after a lead and I’m not there to protect you.”

“I…Jack…” Angela had started to say, but he interrupted her as he started signing the papers in front of him.

“Say ‘Hi’ to Rick for me. And tell him, we can’t all be lucky carefree bastards like him. Now get out of here Angela, you’ve been a pain in the butt, sticking your nose in where it shouldn’t have been, but you were always an excellent officer and be sure to give Rick as much trouble as you did me,” Jack added with a playful smile.

She and Jack had never gotten along, coming to heads with each other about the limit of her duties and so she was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of her meeting. “Thank you Jack and I’ll be sure to give ‘em hell.” Shaking hands goodbye, Angela thought it was unfortunate that she and her teammates had misjudged their Chief. However, that would be a problem to rectify when she returned. For now, she was glad to have left on friendly terms with him and went on to make her farewells to the rest of her teammates. She was sad to be leaving them. After all, saving each other’s asses so often in the field meant that they all had formed a special bond, one that she would miss while she was gone, but it would always be there. As she looked back at the S.R.T. building there was a sense of finality. She wasn’t sure when she’d return to Harvardville and while she was initially anxious about moving to an unfamiliar place, the heavy feelings slowly started seeping away as she and her belongings got further away from her hometown. She felt a bit more hopeful about the future and a bit more excited about the unknown.


	2. New Kid on the Block

Angela was born and raised in Harvardville and she had never really left it, except on a few occasions with friends. So when she had looked for a new unit to transfer into, she chose Toledo; he had visited once during her college years and it was a satisfactory contrast to her hometown. It had a population of 400,000; was located on the Southeastern coast; had a tropical climate; and a glitzy vibe that often came with popular coastal cities. Harvardville on the other hand, had a population of about 100,000; was located near the East Coast with a temperate climate; and had a pretty close-knit, easy going atmosphere. It was hard trying to find similarities between the two places and she loved the change of scenery. 

*****

Angela had been in Toledo for a week getting reacquainted with the city and she had thoroughly enjoyed feeling like a tourist for a few days, but it was a pleasant surprise when she found that she was actually looking forward to getting into her new routine. Whether it was the weather, the change of scenery, or the fact that no one knew about her past, it felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt free - from the chains that bound her in Harvardville and from the pigeon-holing she had experienced at home.

She was to report to the commanding officer at 9 and as she checked in with the clerk at the front desk she found she didn’t have to wait long; upon her arrival she was ushered into his office and she got her first glimpse of her new commanding officer. Rick Bannar was a large man with a heavy build and a somewhat messy mop of thick dark hair. He gave off a casual aura but she could tell he was sizing her up as she walked into the room. It didn’t help the nerves she suddenly felt about meeting and joining a new team, but she strode forward confidently to greet him.

“So you’re the new girl, Angela Miller. I read your profile, it’s pretty impressive; nothing too concerning, but I’m not one for beating about the bush – I run things a bit differently here, I don’t care what you did, bad or good, before you came here. You’ve got a clean slate, but you start out a rookie until I say otherwise.”

Angela was stunned momentarily by his…bluntness and paused to contemplate his words. While having a carte blanche was good for her, it grated to think that her ability as an officer would be disregarded. Deciding that being honest (but civil) would be her best route she replied, “That’s very interesting, Sir, but I think calling me a rookie is a bit extreme. Frankly, I’ve got more experience and better judgement than that.”

Rick chuckled a bit at her response. “You’re one of the few who’ve joined to have put it so… pleasantly. Officer Miller, I’ve been in this line of work for quite a while and I’ve found that officers with ‘lots of experience’ tend to be cocky and don’t play well with their teammates. So, I stick to this policy and everyone who joins my team has to deal with it. They’re a good bunch, but they come from a diverse background. For some, it’s a bit hard to play well with the others; everyone in the team so far has met with my approval and the team’s.”

What he said made sense and she would have thought that what would be enough for her to accept what Rick was saying, but she still felt indignant being called a ‘rookie’ with all her experience. For a moment she felt a pang of grief as she thought about Greg. She knew exactly what he would have called Rick if he had been in her situation, and sure, that part of him could be a bit overbearing at times, but he had always been an honest and loyal teammate and someone she could trust. It still stuck with her losing him in that way, but loss was something they all lived with. She knew Greg would probably tell her off for getting all emotional over him so she didn’t dwell on his death often. “Well, Sir. I acknowledge that your policy has merit and after unpacking 27 boxes of belongings, I have no intention of repacking them again. I only have one question. What do I have to do to stop being a rookie?”

Rick replied with a deep husky laugh, “I’ll take your reluctant acceptance of my rules. As for your question, you’ll be finding out soon enough. Anyway, let’s get you orientated.” He got up and motioned for Angela to follow him and as if that brief first meeting hadn’t been enough of a whirlwind, like a whirlwind he showed her the basic layout of the floor, in between dealt with some paperwork, and introduced her very quickly to some of the personnel before they ran into what seemed to be the only other female officer in the team. “Melissa, Angela. Angela, Melissa. She’ll give you a proper tour and introduce you to the boys. See you later,” he said, leaving a somewhat flabbergasted Angela in his wake as he walked back towards his office.

The tall slim blonde next to her cleared her throat quietly, trying to suppress her amusement at the episode that unfolded in front of her. “Melissa Gideon. Nice to meet you Angela,” she offered her hand as she greeted Angela.

Angela shook her hand in kind, having been disturbed out of her shock by the other woman. “Same here.” She had been so surprised about her new commanding officer that she couldn’t help but blurt out her thoughts. “Is he always like that? He’s like a damn…sledgehammer.”

Melissa laughed at Angela’s comment before answering her, “Yeah, pretty much. This department takes on all the ‘troublemakers’ so he’s learned to clear all the crap out first. Guess passing you on to me was him trying to be efficient. Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like you were a burden. I’m just excited to have a new teammate that’s finally not of the ‘unfairer sex’”

Chuckling, Angela swiftly reassured the other woman that she wasn’t offended “It’s alright, after meeting Rick…anything you say is definitely better than hearing about his ‘rookie policy’. Sure, it’s got some sound foundations, but…the man really is…well he doesn’t beat about the bush, like he says,” Angela replied. “It’s a wonder especially since I find most officers are usually more…‘strategic’. It’s pretty refreshing though.” Angela added pensively.

“Yeah, he does kinda lack tact…kinda have to though with our lot. Actually, I suppose I should introduce you to them, shouldn’t I? Come on, they’re all in the common room. Rick usually avoids it cause the guys get up to some…stunts occasionally, which Rick himself doesn’t mind, but then he’d have to ‘issue them disciplinary warnings’ if he saw them.”

“You’re not inspiring much confidence in me here, Melissa. First Rick tells me they’re a ‘diverse’ bunch; and now you’re telling me they’re doing things Rick would rather not know about. I think you should put my worries to rest. What are they really like? Because honestly, this is kind of nerve-wracking since you’ve told me we’re all ‘troublemakers’.”


	3. Boys will be boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For most of my chapters I have a few songs I listen to to get into the mood I want to set. Below are the ones I listened to while writing this chapter.
> 
> Megaherz - Hurra wer liben och  
> Madina lake - Never take us alive  
> Let’s get together - youngbloods

As they neared the common room they could hear loud raucous laughter, taunts, and yelling. Suddenly they heard someone scream “MAN DOWN! MAN DOWN! MEEEDIC!!!” and they sprinted down the corridor to see what the commotion was about. 

As they entered the room, they both stopped and Angela weakly uttered to the bemused woman next to her, “Are we still in the S.R.T. building?”

“Yes…and unfortunately for us I guess we haven’t made the best first impression.” Melissa said looking at her somewhat apologetically. “They’re not always this…rowdy. Sometimes it’s tame enough for me to join in…” she feebly added.

The scene playing out in front of them consisted of the room being turned into a battle zone, with the men split into two opposing teams. They had used whatever furniture they had to build fortresses, including the common room fridge and were bombarding each other with whatever they had on hand. A fire extinguisher projectile made its way across the room while cannon balls of wet teabags and grenades made from what she assumed was flour followed in its wake.

Angela watched them for a few moments before suddenly chuckling softly. They looked like overgrown children, covered in muck and grinning ear to ear. She was sure Greg and half her old team would have fitted right in with them. Big kids with hearts of gold who occasionally got insecure and felt they had to over-compensate sometimes. It’s probably what landed them here in the first place.

“Are you laughing because you think you’re in the loony bin or…well just loony bin I guess…” Melissa managed to make herself heard in between the shouting and music playing in the background.

Angela laughed, “No, just thinking I could fit right in here,” she said smiling to the woman next to her. They both exchanged amused looks before looking back to the chaos in front of them. It seemed the other men still hadn’t noticed them, surprisingly, but it looked like things were winding down if the reduction of projectiles flying through the air was any indication. 

However, they didn’t get a chance to crown a victor as Rick came up from behind the two women to stand in the doorway and address them. “It’s a bit early in the morning to be this noisy don’t you think?” He hadn’t yelled, but his deep voice was loud and carried through the room.

The men all froze mid-action, uttering a few expletives and turning to look at their superior officer, apprehension evident on their faces.

“Care to tell me what prompted this?”

For a few moments it seemed as though they weren’t going to say anything, instead looking sheepishly at everything but Rick. That didn’t last for long as some of them realised it would be worse to keep Rick waiting any longer. A wiry man of medium build and an impish face spoke up for them all, “Well, it started out as an arm-wrestling competition to see who would get to ask the new teammate for a date, but it ended with a draw. So we decided to make teams based on the last two winners to make it a little more interesting and then it sort of escalated from there. T’was meant to be a chivalrous battle for your affections M’Lady,” he said bowing down towards Angela in mock bow as he said the last bit. The lads behind him smacked him over the head, he had the tendency to behave like an idiot at the worst times.

Angela couldn’t help but blink at them in response. She couldn’t believe her first assessment of them could be so spot-on; a bunch of ragtag boys more likely to get into trouble for being clowns than being bad officers. There was nothing she could even think of to say in response and that was ignoring the fact that Rick was standing right next to her. She looked to him to gauge what would happen next, but she couldn’t have imagined what he said next. 

“Well boys, this is your new teammate from the Harvardville S.R.T. unit that we’ve been expecting. You all know the rules; it’s back to rookie status for the lot of you. Hopefully we’ve done this enough times before that you’ll remember what’s expected of you. As for your punishment for this….mess, since you all saw it fit to make a spectacle of your fellow teammate; it’s only fair that she decides what that will be. So whatever she says goes.” The room remained quiet either because they had felt Rick’s verdict justified, or because they knew better than to question his orders. He turned to address Angela quietly “Don’t be too hard on them, ‘kay?” before winking and leaving just as quietly as he had approached. He had thrown her in the deep end, made a group of grown men seem like misbehaved children in the matter of minutes and it wasn’t even afternoon yet. A demolition crane more accurately described how she viewed Rick at the moment.

A few moments passed before she realised she had a group of overgrown boys looking at her expectantly. She was not expecting them to be so…placid. Should she introduce herself first? Or…“Well, I guess we should get this over and done with. I’m sure you didn’t think that your actions would be seen in this way, but I don’t appreciate being objectified by my teammates, like I’m something to be won.”

This time another of the group responded to Angela; stocky with a mature face and a gruff voice he moved forward a bit as he spoke “We’re real sorry, Angela. Your arrival was more an excuse to have some fun rather than us being sexist assholes. But I’m pretty sure whatever you have in mind as punishment would probably be justified.”

Angela chuckled at their honesty. If this was the result of Rick’s ‘rookie policy’, then she would definitely love to see it implemented in other stations. “Two things: one, no more….whatever this is,” she said gesturing to the common room and indicating their recent play fight, “unless Melissa and I can join in.” To which a few of the guys cheered, “And two,” continued Angela, not paying much heed to the men’s interruption, “clean this mess up. And that includes the teabags and flour on the ceiling,” she said looking up.

“Well, that sounds pretty fair to me. Personally, I wouldn’t have gone so easy on them, Angela.” Melissa said from beside her.

“Yeah, it’s so bloody fair we can’t even hold it against her,” said a burly red-head walking up to her. “I’m Reid Jackson, and don’t listen to Melissa. She’s a tyrant; we poor boys are always at her mercy,” Reid joked. “We really are sorry though. We were just keen to blow off some steam. Hope you won’t hold it against us?” Reid said extending his hand.

“Just don’t ask me to help you clean up and we’re all square.”

“Haha, damn. Shot down before I could even try. ” 

After a round of introductions, the boys started cleaning up the aftermath of their play fight while Angela and Melissa sat back and watched. 

“I’m surprised you guys are taking the whole demoting thing because of me so well.” Angela addressed Mike, one of her new fellow officers who happened to be closest to her.

“Oh you shouldn’t think so highly of yourself Angela” said Mike with a wink, “each time there’s a new member we go through this whole process. It seems counter-productive, but we mostly go through a whole bunch of rookie exercises. It’s a pretty good chance to work together as a team, new member included. Plus, we can’t complain too much. Most of our previous departments wouldn’t let us on the SWAT or SRT, Rick’s ‘bout the only one who ever gave us a chance beyond looking at our records. So if this is what it takes to stay on here under Rick who respects us (when perhaps we’re not destroying the common room) we’re willing to accept it.”

Angela was gladder than ever that she had chosen the Toledo SRT department. Her first impression was that they were all down-to-earth, likeable people and she was excited to get out into the field with them. She always thought that a well put together and united team was like a well-oiled machine as it carried out its function - efficient, impressive, and powerful - and if their teamwork was as good as what they had displayed in the common room, they would be very good.


	4. Flicker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QOTSA - No one knows  
> Petshop boys – Always on my mind

_“This is your last chance to prove yourself, so don’t be the big dumb oaf you look to be. Mess this up and I’ll send someone else to clean up both you and your mistake.”_

*******

Leon Kennedy lay sprawled across his leather couch. It was one of the rare occasions that he was off-duty and his head was swimming with all sorts of thoughts. He thought his life was simple: get missions, complete them, try to wipe out the T and G virus that wreaked havoc, survive. The past couple of years his love life had been non-existent and while he had believed that there was only one woman that he had feelings for, there was no promise of a happily ever after. The past couple of months, however, had proved to be particularly trying since there was now someone else who plagued his thoughts. Both Ada and Angela had greatly complicated his life and he was starting to worry about his safety; thoughts of them sometimes drove him to distraction and in his profession that was definitely asking for trouble. 

He was interrupted from his thoughts by his cellphone beeping, “Have you got something for me, Hunnigans?”

“There’s someone who wants to meet with you. He says he’s got some important information that’ll he’ll only share with you. I’m sending over the details of the proposed meeting time now. Will you need transport or will you be able to make your own way there?” asked Hunnigans, business as always.

“I’ll get there myself.” He hoped that it would be sufficient enough to distract him from his current line of thoughts. Looking over the details that Hunnigans had sent, he could see that the meeting would happen tonight in a city not far from here. Getting ready for the encounter he decided it would be safest to push all thoughts of the two women from his mind.

******

After the team’s initial unorthodox meeting, Rick had bundled them off to the classroom with his second in command, Daniel. An attractive and intelligent man with dusty blonde hair, but so serious he put a statue to shame. Fortunately, they only had to spend a small part of the day covering past missions and strategies utilised by the team. The rest of the day was then spent doing team-building exercises to give Angela the chance to interact with the squad in small groups at a time. The first exercise had been a real operation and Angela had watched from the side-lines to allow her to get a feel for how they worked. They had been swift and effective. Their proficiency, alertness and good communication had resulted in the successful completion of the mission and Angela had been excited to see them in action.

Rick and Daniel had both taken turns to oversee their training after that. “Don’t mind this stick-in-the-mud too much Angela. I haven’t been able to beat that out of him yet. He’s way too serious, but I suppose considering our lot we kinda need it…” Rick had told her teasingly when Daniel had come to take over. She was really starting to get behind Rick’s ‘rookie policy’ - there was less tension and insecurities, and working together felt natural without the occasional power struggle that would crop up between teammates.

At the end of their training, the team was mostly confident about facing the challenges thrown their way. Rick was especially pleased with their progress as their performance was improving with each new recruit, “See, do this enough times and it becomes easier and easier. Now, we go out, we eat, we drink and we celebrate a good week and a new teammate!” With that he signalled to everyone to clear out and everyone walked down the road to the Cuban restaurant that seemed to be a favourite among the Toledo S.R.T. Unit.

The week had been tough, but enlivening. A new squad, new dynamics - learning about each other and working with them - it required greater focus and responsiveness. Angela relished how previously routine and mundane experiences felt novel and she really loved the comradery that her new teammates shared. They’d stayed until closing, sharing stories about their experiences over tamales and drinks of Cuba libre. Most of the team had families to go back to after that, but a few of them had wanted to hit up a club while they had the opportunity. Angela had been happy up till then, she wasn’t sure whether she was in the mood for dancing among a throng of hot sweaty bodies that would probably reek of alcohol, perfume and cologne and so she was going to pass on the offer and hit the sack. However, Melissa was ecstatic about having another female officer in the team and insisted on her joining them. She supposed they weren’t likely to do this often or anytime soon and so she figured she would join them for a short while at least.

Angela had been right about the sweaty bodies and overpowering smells, but the music at Amazon was good and the company better - Melissa, Reid and Mike were fun loving and didn’t take themselves too seriously. They were just there to dance and enjoy the music. They boys didn’t take liberties with her and, while she was more than capable of fending off creeps by herself, they were much more efficient at keeping the pushy harassing ones at bay. Overall it was turning out to be a carefree and pleasurable night until she felt like she was being watched. When she looked around she saw a tallish man with dark hair and dark clothing looking her way. It could have been a coincidence as he shortly turned his head casually as if he was scanning the room but in her line of work she had learned to listen to her instincts. Even though they kept slowly shifting around the room he always seemed to be visible from the corner of her eye and occasionally when she looked around she would notice him looking her way before turning his attention elsewhere. 

“Melissa. Do you notice the tall stereotypical shady looking guy over there? I’m sure he’s been looking over at us for the past half hour and more.”

“Hmm…I don’t recognise him. He’s probably just a class A creep, but it is a bit worrying with the disappearances going on. We’ll probably be leaving soon though. Oh! He could be a bouncer who’s been infatuated with my good looks! And he’s deserted his post and his boss will be very upset with him but dammit he just saw the love of his life and…”

Melissa had trailed off after the rather quirky and laughing smile that Angela had given her. Her attempt to make her feel better had worked and it seemed that he had finally moved on as Angela could no longer notice him in the crowd.

******

It was unusual for Leon to be standing in queue at a club, but it belonged to the informant and he obviously felt safest meeting with Leon here. When the bouncer saw his ID, he motioned to the other security guard to escort him. Inside was thrumming with bodies and looked to be popular with a range of age groups. Nearing a discrete black door at the far end of the room Leon saw someone familiar, ‘Angela?!’ It was brief though and then he couldn’t see her anymore. ‘Am I that obsessed I’m beginning to see her around the place?’ he thought to himself.

He didn’t have time to ponder on it though as the security guard directed him to go on through without him. At the moment he had more important things to think about; he absolutely could not afford to get distracted now, not when there seemed to be a serious threat on the horizon.

******

Not long after the group piled out of the club and agreed that they would go home, “Ah, it’s late and we’re not yungins the way we used to be, now is we Mike?” Reid had asked of his friend.

“Speak for yourself Reid. I just got things to do on the weekend. Anyway, Melissa, Reid and myself live not too far from here so we can walk you back, else we can get you a cab?”

“Thanks for the offer. I’m just on Tamiami Street and the company would be welcome. I think it’s that way?” She said looking down the road.

“Looks about right.” Mike said as they all headed down the street towards Angela’s apartment. “We live just down that way so we’ll walk you and Melissa back and head back to our place after. I know you two are pretty good at taking down a couple of hooligans if they start getting fresh with you, but we’ll never hear the end of it if you get lost. Rick’s always going on about looking out for your teammate even when you’re not out on the field.”

“Rick seems like a really great officer. You can’t help but respect and like him - even if he is a hard taskmaster. How long has he been doing this for?”

“Not as long as you’d think. He lost a close friend out in the field ‘cause his team captain wasn’t the best and it kinda motivated him to take up the position and rectify all the things he thought was wrong with the way the team was run. When we first came in, some of the things he made us do seemed really stupid, but we really appreciate it now. I know we’ve all got each other’s back and if it weren’t for our personal records being a bit…grey…we’d definitely be recognised as the best out there. We feel cheated ‘cause Rick should get credit for the work he does, but the higher ups are a bunch of tools.”

“You know, from what I’ve seen of Rick and what you’ve told me. I don’t think it matters. What he cares about are the people – who we’re saving and keeping everyone on the team safe. And I think that if the team continues to carry out missions with the clockwork precision I saw the other day, other teams will recognise how good you all are no matter what the higher ups have to say about it.”

“We’re that good, huh? Well, you realise this now includes you too, right Angela?”

“I do. Anyway, this is my apartment. Thanks for walking me back guys, I’ve had a great evening.”

“No worries. But…do you mind if I crash on your couch or something? I think I’ve left my keys in my locker and these guys keep a pretty gross apartment.” Melissa shuddered. 

“Of course. Just don’t mind the boxes, I haven’t unpacked everything.”

“Boxes are no issue at all. Plus, I’m sure even your cold hard floor would be better than their place.”

“Well I actually have a rug, so it wouldn’t be that cold or hard.”

“See! Even Angela’s FLOOR is better than your place. You guys need to clean up sometime or you’re never going to get a girl.”

They all laughed and while the boys walked to their apartment, Angela and Melissa took the elevator to her apartment. The tall figure that had followed them from the club, however, stood in the shadows while he watched them enter the building. He hadn’t had a chance to make a move all night. No scene, no witnesses. Well he would bide his time and wait. There were others for now.


	5. Keep dancing when the world stops turning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like some of you might think that my writing is slow and drawn out. Which I apologise for. I do want people to enjoy the fic, but I feel it’s necessary as I feel like things feel stilted if there isn’t the right amount of development. Hope you like it regardless and thanks for sticking with my fic :)
> 
> Coldplay – Warning sign  
> Nine Inch Nails – And all that could have been  
> Kings of Leon – Closer

Angela had only been with the Toledo S.R.T department a few months, but she had integrated swiftly with her new team. They were great at their jobs, but they were also good people, so it was natural that she also enjoyed spending time with them outside of work. Melissa was especially good company, with the two of them bonding over the fact that they were some of the most mature ones in their team. Similar tastes in shoes also helped. Today had been another day spent with Melissa enjoying what Toledo had to offer, but now that she was alone she couldn’t help her thoughts straying to the past.

At present her life seemed ideal - no past, no haunting questions, living her life in the now, but Curtis’ birthday was coming up. With that brought feelings of loss and regret, particularly for her young nephew who she had been especially close with. She really had been ready to go down that night with Curtis and she was thankful for her job in the S.R.T. which made her value her life and the difference she made, but as his birthday neared, she couldn’t help feeling dejected and her conscience wouldn’t let her rest. She felt like things were still unresolved. Had they really gotten everyone that Frederic Downing was working with? She could never let something like what happened to her brother happen to anyone else nor would she let people like Frederic Downing get away with the things he did. Her thoughts then turned to Leon and she realised that after 8 months the thought of him could still make her heart ache and beat faster. She hadn’t seen him once since their parting on that hill and she wondered if she ever would. 

Just as she was starting to doze off, however, she heard a noise. It was faint, but it definitely sounded like movement inside her flat. Adrenaline pumping, she slowly slipped out of bed and grabbed the closest potential weapon, an empty glass bottle. Moving from room to room she neither saw nor heard anything. As she approached the living room, however, she could hear flapping. Raising the bottle to inflict damage on the intruder, she stopped as she realised that the window was open and breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t remember opening it, but she was a bit dazed when she had returned home that evening. Putting the bottle down, she returned to bed, unaware of what danger lurked in the dark.

*****

“Come on you’ve been moping around the past couple of days, whatever’s the matter Angela?”

“Nothing…it’s nothing...” Angela tried to smile reassuringly. She wanted to tell Melissa, but it felt too personal. She managed to stay focussed during missions, but when she wasn’t working she had been finding it hard to be involved with her friends and teammates. She just didn’t feel quite ready to talk about it; there were just so many old emotions that were dredged up with the thought of the past.

Melissa didn’t seem convinced, but Angela was relieved when she let it go and said, “Fine, but no matter what you say, something is wrong. You can tell me in your own time or we can go out for some drinks? Maybe you’ll have a drunken epiphany or it’ll loosen up your inhibitions sufficiently to tell me what’s bothering you.”

Thinking about it, it didn’t seem a half bad idea. She wasn’t drinking alone and Melissa would be looking out for her. It might be a good opportunity to voice the thoughts in her head. “I think…that actually sounds like a good idea…so long as the first round is on you,” she said with a slightly sorrowful smile.

“Done, let’s head down to Kazu, it should be pretty quiet at this hour, but sorry, I don’t think they’re going to let you in dressed like that.” Melissa said looking at the bleach stained dress she was wearing to do housework in. “I’ll go grab a dress for you.” Melissa said as she walked towards Angela’s wardrobe. Picking up one of Angela’s favourite dresses, a soft floral red shoulder hugging dress that flared out from a fitted bodice, Melissa hoped that it would also help pick up her mood. 

Unfortunately when they arrived at Kazu, it had been packed with people watching the game. Not liking the atmosphere for their night of drinking they decided to head to Amazon which would be quiet at this early hour of the night. With the empty dancefloor and loud music they headed to the bar to start their night. It suited Angela’s mood and with both of them deciding to get started with the hard stuff they ordered a Hunter’s cocktail.

*****

Leon had been called out by his informant again. The last time Mr Sanguini hadn’t had anything very concrete to give him, other than the fact that a controversial group had been getting more active. Some of them had frequented his less reputable business ventures and he had gotten the information that they had recently teamed up with some powerful and unsavoury group which would be funding their operations from now on. Of course there were no names or details, but he highlighted the fact that they were sympathisers of the genetic engineering movement and considering past events, they were a group to take seriously. Leon had recognised that there were serious ramifications involved with a group such as theirs getting too active and reluctantly acknowledged that his informant, Mr Sanguini, was probably well positioned to keep him abreast of the developing issue. So when he was called saying that he had best make his way to the club immediately, he wasted no time in going over. 

*****  
“I’ve lost all my family,” Angela said still staring at the drink in her hand. “They’re gone and I’ve got no one and I don’t feel like justice has been done by them and it gets lonely. I want my family back. I want a family. Maybe start my own. But what if something bad happens to them again and there’s this man who has left a really deep impression on me and I just feel broken sometimes. Like the only thing I know how to do anymore is my job. And I thought that I was doing well here, but I’ve been slipping back to the place I was before I came here…”

“Oh Angela, I’m so sorry.” Melissa said as she moved closer to give her a hug. They’d downed a few stiff drinks and Angela had finally opened up a bit, making her realise why she had been so reluctant to say what had been upsetting her. Regretfully, Melissa didn’t know how to help or what to say, but she was glad she had said something to get it out so then at least she wouldn’t be alone when she tried to work through her problems. She’d obviously come to Toledo for a fresh start, but that also meant she didn’t have her support network of old friends to help her through it. “I’m sorry that I can’t say anything much that will make you feel better, but thank you for telling me. I know that this might not sound comforting, but I’m here to support and help you. We can try and get through this together, because I think you’re an amazing person and a good friend and I don’t want to see you suffering alone.”

Angela was touched by Melissa’s kind words and she couldn’t stop from crying as she hid her face in her friend’s shoulder. While she had gone through some therapy in Harvardville, the therapist had been very clinical about what she had gone through, so much so she had felt detached from it all. After that she found it difficult to confide in her friends and disturb their own happy family lives even though they had tried to be supportive. As such, being able to voice it here and now, when it had been eating her up for a few days and with such a sympathetic response from Melissa, she couldn’t help but let her emotions flood her as she felt a small weight from her chest being lifted. They stayed like that for a while as Melissa let Angela run through her emotions. Eventually her tears let up and she let go of Melissa as she picked up a napkin to wipe away her tears. “Thank you Melissa. You have no idea, how those few words have really helped. And thank you for dragging me out here. I was a bit sceptical about it helping, but well it seems to have worked in the end. You know, I’m still keen for a few more drinks though. Got to get the fire back in me after that emotional episode.” Angela said smiling at her friend. 

“Sure. How about something a little lighter and fresher though? Mint Julep? I just need to head to the bathroom though. I’ll be back soon,” Melissa patted Angela’s hand briefly before ordering their drinks from the bartender. She was surprised as she had to squeeze through crowds to get to the women’s restroom. Neither Angela nor she had been paying attention to their surroundings and the club had gotten packed full of people. They’d obviously been at the bar a lot longer than she had thought.

Angela in the meantime was a bit lost in thought as she sat at the bar and it was only when someone bumped into her arm that she realised that her drink was sitting in front of her. She took a few sips and found the Mint Julep much more revitalising than the heavy drinks that she’d been drinking and she took a few deeper sips. It wasn’t very long when she noticed that she was finding it hard to focus and kept losing her train of thought. She was hit by vertigo and tried standing up slowly, but found herself tipping to the side until a heavy body caught her.


	6. Demons hunting Angels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite a bit longer than I intended, but hopefully not a bad longer.
> 
> M83 - Midnight City  
> Goo Goo Dolls - Iris  
> Des’ree – Kissing you (totally recommend this song while reading, especially the latter half of the chapter)

“A shady character,” repeated Leon disparagingly.

“Yes, yes! He is very much a shady character Mr Kennedy. He has been hanging around here a lot and a few of those fellows have been seen conversing with him. I have no doubt in my mind that he has some dealings with those fellows. I should also tell you that some people have gone missing in the area. Nobody important, just undesirables and vagrants mostly. But you will agree that it is interesting?”

Leon didn’t comment. Mr Sanguini had an offensive manner about him and his treatment of people was just as offensive. At any rate, there would appear to be some credence to what he was telling him – the disappearance of people when a human evolution group gains momentum in the area? Definitely something worth checking out. Not that he would let the man know. If he knew that he was actually providing some useful tips, he might just try to take advantage of his position.

Mr Sanguini looked a little put off by Leon’s lack of response, but he was eager to please and gain Leon’s confidence, “My men tell me that his behaviour is most unusual Mr Kennedy. In fact, he is in the club right now and I am worried about what he might do to some of our innocent patrons. Would you not look into it, for their sakes?”

Leon was walking on thin ice with Mr Sanguini. The man respected authority and strength and Leon had to make sure he portrayed the right amount of coldness to ensure the man would continue to provide information in a bid to make himself seem useful to the government agent. Forced to answer, Leon finally commented, “Point him out to me and I’ll see if this trip was worthwhile.” 

Mr Sanguini motioned over one of his bodyguards who bent forward to whisper into his ear. “He is just exiting the club with a rather intoxicated woman,” he said slyly, the insinuation clear in his voice. 

“Describe them.” Leon bit out, impatience evident in his voice.

The bodyguard replied for Mr Sanguini, “The man is tall, dark hair and a stocky build. He’s wearing a black jacket, grey T-shirt and jeans, no other distinguishing features. The woman is in a red dress with brown hair.”

Narrowing his eyes Leon got up quickly, “We’ll be seeing each other again Mr Sanguini.” Leon left the room and pushed his way through the throng of bodies quickly. He hoped that the suspicious individual was still on foot and that his possibly companion had slowed his progress sufficiently for him to catch up. 

*****

Angela had started to feel hot, the vertigo hadn’t left her and her heart was pounding. Suddenly she felt a cool breeze on her skin and sighed in relief. A strong hand supported her around the waist as she moved forward, but she could barely shift her feet. They just wouldn’t stop pulling her, she didn’t know where she was going and she didn’t think she liked the hand around her. It was a bit painful she thought and she tried feebly to pull it off her, but another hand grabbed her hands and pulled them to the side forcefully. She didn’t like that either and she thought she scratched them then, and when she heard them curse and hold down her hands she knew that she had. Suddenly the hand around her disappeared and she could feel something hard beneath her. All she knew was that it was cool and she was very hot before blacking out.

*****

Melissa looked to the bar. Angela wasn’t there, but her things were. Picking them up she managed to get the bartender’s attention and ask him where her friend had gone. He pointed in the direction of the exit and she could see a tall man in dark clothing who seemed to be dragging someone out the door. She swore before pushing through the bodies to get to her friend, she had no idea what happened, but there was no way she would have just up and left like that of her own volition and she cursed the people around for letting a strange person take her away. 

*****

Leon made it out the door and quickly scanned the streets. He didn’t immediately see anyone matching the descriptions Mr Sanguini gave, but he noticed a blonde woman running down the street. It was his best option and running in the same direction he could see that she was after the same pair that he was. When he heard the blonde call out ‘Angela’ his heart skipped a beat. It was unlikely that it was his Angela, but he had thought that he had seen her at this club once. The woman swiftly intercepted the pair and the man had to relinquish his grasp on the woman as he was yanked on the collar from behind. He was kneed in the back, before she kicked the back of his knees to get him kneeling on the ground and in a chokehold. Leon increased his pace, but the man still managed to flip her over his head and slam her into the ground beside the woman in red.

He was just in time to tackle the man and grabbing a flailing arm, he pulled it back and twisted it as he tried to get his other arm. Too late, however, as the man kicked Leon off his back, before punching him and making his escape. Leon was about to go after him before he heard the blonde woman groan. He’d already gotten a head start and disappeared down an alley and so Leon decided to tend to the women. At any rate there’d probably be CCTV footage of him anyway from the club. “Are you guys alright?”

“Just winded,” she replied a bit breathlessly as she pulled herself up, “but my friend may need help. I don’t know what he did to her and she bent over the other woman to turn her over.

“Angela?” He couldn’t believe that it really was her. And even more incredulously, he couldn’t believe that he’d just saved her from…what probably would have been a very unpleasant fate. He quickly bent over her to assess her situation. She wasn’t conscious and she was burning up. The blonde woman had looked surprised that he had known Angela’s name, “We did a job together in Harvardville, I’m Leon” he explained quickly.

Melissa nodded, before quickly introducing herself “Melissa, friend, colleague.”

“She’s really burning up here. How long ago did you last see her and what was she like then?” he asked as he picked her up and started walking towards the club.

“It couldn’t have been more than 10 to 15 minutes. And well…she was…well she was awake and alert. We’ve had a few drinks, but she didn’t seem so impaired that she’d be in this condition. I think that man must have slipped her something. She was a bit…distracted when I left her at the bar.” Melissa was naturally upset by what had happened. They re-entered the club and Leon had demanded the bouncer show him to a private room and call a Doctor and an ambulance immediately. She was surprised that the bouncer listened to him, but followed the both of them into the room. As he placed Angela on the ground and raised her feet with some pillows, Melissa looked around the room to see if there was anything useful. There was an ice bucket with some ice and water bottles in it and she grabbed it and brought it over to Leon.

“I thought she might be having an anaphylactic reaction, but I don’t think so anymore, her airways appear to be clear and she doesn’t have any breathing issues, no other signs either” Leon told Melissa as she approached him with the water and ice. “She seems to be suffering from hyperthermia so we’re going to have to get some water into her.”

“I don’t know if we’re going to be able to wake her up and get her to drink this, but it’s worth a try.” Melissa replied as she shook Angela to rouse her. It didn’t seem to work so well so she tried wetting a napkin with some cool water an applying it to her face. It seemed to get a reaction so she tried calling her name and pouring a bit of cool water onto her face and neck. She gained consciousness at that point and managed to open her eyes groggily.

“Mel…Melissa?”

“Yeah babe, listen can you drink some water for us? It’ll make you feel better.” 

Melissa and Leon got her sitting upright against the sofa, but she didn’t seem to understand what they wanted her to do when they brought the bottle to her lips. Leon’s jaw clenched as he thought of the man that had escaped. He didn’t expect the situation would turn out as badly as it had, he was almost tempted to blame Mr Sanguini, if it weren’t for the fact that if he hadn’t called Leon in then he’d have never been here in time to save her or any other victim the man may have chosen. He just wished he’d been able to act sooner…and that he hadn’t gotten away, if only …but his main priority right now was seeing to Angela. Taking a swig from the bottled water, Leon cradled her head in the crook of his arm as he brought their lips together and fed the water to her. Her lips were dry, but supple beneath his own and she tasted faintly of whiskey and mint. He wished she were awake and alert; that he didn’t have to be doing this, that he could have been kissing her passionately while she responded in kind, but instead he took another mouthful of water to give her. It all went down without her choking on any of it, though Melissa seemed to choke on her own surprise as she stared wide-eyed. He guessed the gesture seemed a bit intimate and forward, but it wasn’t so different to the time they had shared the same breath of air to survive being trapped underwater. However, this time her condition was bad and he didn’t know what he could do to save her. The door was flung open and a large burly bodyguard walked in with a skinny middle aged man in a dull brown suit and a large doctors bag in tow.

The man approached Angela and ushered Leon away as he checked her pulse and responsiveness.

“Is the ambulance on the way?” Leon asked the bodyguard who had taken up position beside the door.

“Mr Sanguini said no ambulances. He didn’t want another big commotion outside his establishment. Dr Hershey here is more than capable of seeing to your companion.” 

Leon lunged at the bodyguard, but Melissa intercepted him. “You realise that if she dies here, we will bring a shit storm of police and lawyers to bring down ‘Mr Sanguini’” Melissa addressed the bodyguard.

“Dr Hershey is very experienced and we trust him more than any doctor in a fancy hospital.”

Leon could not be satisfied with the answer, especially given Angela’s state. He wouldn’t stand by idly while a quack was the only one entrusted to her health. He started pulling out his phone to contact the emergency services when the doctor spoke.

“There is no need to worry Mr Kennedy. It seems she’s been given a stimulant/sedative combination. The stimulant was probably to ensure that she was more…susceptible to outsiders and the sedative was probably to limit her cognisance and mobility. Unfortunately, the individual who drugged her didn’t take heed of the fact that the young woman had consumed alcohol. This has resulted in the hyperthermia and lack of responsiveness you have witnessed. The sedative, though, will prevent her from becoming agitated as is common with such stimulants and she is still semi-alert and responsive to pain. She does not require hospitalisation, but you will need to watch her and treat her for the hyperthermia. I can provide some intravenous fluid packs and you will need to put her under a cool shower to get her temperature down. She should recover from the stimulant side effects within 4-6 hours and you should notice an improvement in responsiveness within 8-10 hours.”

Both Melissa and Leon were unsure of what to say or how to react. The Doctor obviously had experience with similar situations and what he prescribed seemed appropriate and informed…but it was difficult to accept when the call for outside help was blatantly ignored. They weren’t quite sure whether to trust his assessment, not to mention that there was no guarantee that Mr Sanguini and his men were concerned about Angela’s welfare. 

“Mr Kennedy, I can administer the fluids while you think over what I’ve said, but Mr Sanguini has also offered the use of a private studio upstairs while she recovers. I have also been told to be at your disposal and monitor the situation until you are satisfied that she is well. I think this is better treatment than she could expect to receive at any A&E ward.”

It looked like Leon needed one final small push to be convinced. Melissa just wanted the best for her at the moment and so she quietly spoke to him, “Leon, I’m a bit wary of this setup myself, but there is no logical reason to turn down this offer. Mr Sanguini is a business man and obviously he doesn’t want to get any bad press – his solution is the in-house doctor and playing the part of a good host while she recovers. At the moment I feel like the longer we delay the worse it will be for Angela. She’s already been through so much, I honestly think it would be better being cared for in what will probably be a luxurious suite than a sterile cold hospital.”

“I agree with you Melissa and thank you, for being so considerate of her.” Leon indicated that they accepted the proposition and as the bodyguard lead the way, Leon followed with Angela in his arms. Entering the plush studio apartment he thought about what they had just agreed to. While he had agreed with what Melissa had said, he knew that Mr Sanguini was more than just a business man. He was also an opportunist and Leon was afraid of what the consequences of his generosity might be at a later date.


	7. All I Have To Do Is Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ariana Grande, The Weeknd - Love Me Harder  
> Starsailor – Fidelity  
> Ghost loft – So high

“Leon?” Angela had woken up to the feeling of cool water running down her body and a warm body pressed against hers. She couldn’t remember the events leading up to this moment and when she had opened her eyes Leon had been standing in front of her. For a terrifying moment she thought she was back in Harvardville trying to escape the transformed Curtis and then she realised that was in the past and that this was probably just a dream. The hard side of his body was pressed firmly against her centre, his thigh between her legs and his powerful arms braced beside her to pin her against the cool tiles. He was shirtless and the water ran down his muscular chest in rivulets. 

“I’m sorry that it turned out like this Angela,” he said.

His eyes bore into her causing her pulse to quicken in response. If she had been feeling dazed and lightheaded before, the sensations she was experiencing now heightened the dream-like feel of her current state. Her body felt foreign to her and the feeling of the cold water was like pins piercing her quivering body, numbing it but making it more aware of the heat seeping into her body from his. His words took her back to the thoughts she’d had during the past few days she realised his presence, whether real or imaginary, lessened the emotions of loss she felt. Fantasy or not she wouldn’t lose this opportunity to be close to him again. “It is what it is” she said bringing her hand up to his face to stroke it. 

He rested his forehead against hers and her hand slowly strayed down his neck, smoothed over his chest to feel the muscles tensing beneath the surface of his skin before tracing a path over the bare flesh. Her hand stopped to rest flat on the taut muscles of his stomach. His eyes had closed at the sensation of her delicate fingers ghosting across his body, but he had lifted his head when her hand stopped. He could feel the heat emanating from her body, soaking into the skin that had been cooled alongside hers under the cold water. They held each other’s gaze both savouring the intimate sensation of the calling that their bodies felt for each other. The proximity reminded him of the moment he had saved her from falling into the abyss. However, this time there was no bulky uniform and the wet fabric of their clothing did nothing to conceal their bodies from each other. He could feel just how perfectly her body fit against his, soft and feminine, voluptuous and supple. It drove him wild, but he would fight himself – he wouldn’t touch her any more than he already was, no matter how hard it was he would not move until she wanted more. He had to consider the fact that she probably wasn’t able to make sound decisions in her condition, but he found he couldn’t resist when she raised her other hand to gently pull him to her. 

Their lips moved hesitantly against each other’s at first, but as they deepened the kiss and they could taste each other their movements became more fervent. His hand moved to support her head and he took everything her mouth could offer him. His other arm dropped to tightly clasp her slim waist to him and it took all of his self-control to stop himself from devouring all of her. 

Angela didn’t shy away from his desire as his mouth dominated hers, instead grasping onto him more firmly. She moaned and rejoiced in the feeling of contentment that spread throughout her. She was on a high and all she could think of was how right it felt to be in his arms. It was a welcome fantasy and she let herself fall deeper into it as her hands explored his exposed skin, nails gently scraping across his chest. 

Leon broke the kiss and took in a shuddering breath of air, he was close to losing himself to the intensity of the feelings stirred within in. Her next words sealed his fate, however.

“Leon, I want to feel more of you, I want you…”

*****

“I told you not to screw up. Did you think I wasn’t serious? Well, I have no use for anything that can’t follow simple instructions. Three, put him in with the rest.”

There was a look of sheer horror on the man’s face. The burliest of the three other men in the room him punched him in the gut before knocking him out and dragging him into another room.

“He couldn’t have foreseen a skilled opponent stopping him from carrying out his task.”

“Humph. He was starting to annoy me…and he was pretty thick.” The burly man re-entered the room shortly after and nodded to inform them that the job had been done. “Good. Now then Three, I hope you’ve learnt from Four’s mistakes. Don’t return without results and no scenes or witnesses, though I’m not averse to more material…”

*****

Leon contemplated Angela’s face as she slept. She looked a mess and yet she still seemed to glow. He had wanted her so strongly that he almost lost control when she had said she wanted him, but he could never take advantage of her in her current condition. Well any more than he already had, he guiltily added. He had let his desire (and possibly lust) get the better of him for a while, but he had managed to snap himself back to reality. She had been drugged and was vulnerable - she probably wasn’t aware of what she was doing. So he made her get out of the shower and wrapping a large towel around her, he kissed her on the forehead before telling her that she needed to get dry first. Fortunately, the sedatives and fatigue must have caught up with her because as he was rubbing her down with the towel she was struggling to stay upright and awake. Melissa then took over, helping her to get into something dry as he gave her some privacy and dried himself off as well. The doctor was in another room to allow them some space. He had said he would come by every hour to check on her, but otherwise had let them watch her for any changes in her condition.

Melissa had meant to be the one with her in the shower to help get her body temperature under control, but Angela’s abductor had sprained her shoulder when he flipped her. Instead she was taking the first shift to watch over her as Leon got some sleep. However, when Leon made to sleep on the couch, she snorted, “Mr Kennedy. You can sleep on the bed next to her. After all you’re just lying next to her, not on top of her and if her moans and murmurs of ‘Leon’ are anything to go by this is hardly the most intimate thing that you’ve been doing with her tonight.”  
Leon tried to explain his actions, but found that words failed to come to his defence. 

“I see you have the decency to look contrite and I’m glad you have the sense not to make up some lame excuse. Even if she’s got something going on with you, it’s not right to do something when she isn’t able to properly consent to it.”  
“So why didn’t you put a stop to it?”

“I…because I thought I would be denying her something that she wanted. I don’t know whether it was the right or wrong thing to not do, but I’ve got to at least say it, because I’m not going to pretend I didn’t let it happen. And I’m going to be honest with Angela when she’s properly awake.”

“Melissa, it’s probably best that you don’t tell her that I was here.”

“Not only does that sound very suspicious, but chances are she’s not going to forget a steamy little session like that. Unless you were doing something that she didn’t actually want to do.”

“I don’t know about that, but it’s more that I don’t want to bring up any painful memories that she might prefer she not remember.”

“Like about her family?” Angela had mentioned a man that had made a big impression on her and Melissa couldn’t help but wonder if Leon was the man that her friend couldn’t get out of her mind.

“Yes. I was with her when her brother…” he hesitated slightly, not knowing how much to reveal of the matter, “died. I’m only guessing, but I think her being here may be related to what happened. I won’t be staying till the morning so it’s your choice what you tell her, but you’ve obviously gotten to know her quite well and I believe whatever you decide to do will be the best for her.”

“And what if I said that I think you both should be together I tell her as much?”

“I have a duty to protect the public and it has to come first. Being with me would only end in her getting hurt and she deserves more than that.”

*****

As Leon was preparing to leave the studio apartment in the early hours of the morning, he bent to brush some hair out of Angela’s face when Angela grabbed his hand.

“Curtis, where is he? I need to give him his present.”

She appeared to still be half asleep and Leon didn’t want to risk upsetting her at this stage. He rested his hand against her cheek as he answered her, “He went home early. You’ll see him again sometime, so don’t worry, rest easy.” As she smiled in response and fell back asleep he bent down and kissed her forehead. He didn’t think too deeply over the emotion that Angela conjured up within him. He didn’t have the luxury and trying to comprehend what he felt for Angela or Ada wasn’t an option. Angela’s attempted abductor hadn’t been a sexual predator – he was trained and Leon had a feeling that the man and the new group were the ones responsible behind the string of disappearances in the area. He had to put personal matters aside. Looking back at the door, however, before walking away he realised this was the second time he’d be leaving her when she was vulnerable, but it was for the best. He’d only bring up old memories and feelings which she probably didn’t want to deal with right now. It was tempting to visit her later, especially since he might be based in the area soon, but he knew he shouldn’t, not if he cared for her, it was one of the reasons why he stayed away in the first place; his work was hazardous and if something happened to him, he couldn’t stomach the thought of hurting her. Resigned to his fate, he walked out the building, thankful for this last chance to be close to her again.


	8. Is That a Hangover or Are You Just Unhappy to See Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bellarive – Lazarus  
> Nine Inch Nails – We’re in this together   
> In the house – In a heartbeat

Angela gasped as Leon’s calloused hands skimmed the sensitive flesh of her breasts and his lips traced over her collarbone. His teasing feather light touches were torturous, sending surges of pleasure through her body, but never satisfying. She writhed beneath him, begging for more, but he wouldn’t give in. He was deriving too much pleasure from exploring her body to end it just yet. He could feel her soft skin heat up as his hands stroked her inner thighs and it thrilled him to see this strong woman yield to him so freely, to hear her moaning his name for more. He wanted to be the only man whose name she called out like that. The thought of anyone else experiencing her like this made him jealous and he roughly clutched her breast as he lightly bit her neck to mark her as his. It seemed to excite her more as he captured her lips in a rough kiss and she responded by twisting her fingers into the soft hairs at the nape of his neck pulling him closer. She sighed as he moved his lips to her neck, then between the valley of her chest and then to her stomach. He didn’t move further south, instead appreciating the contented glow in her face as he looked back up at her. She reached her hand down to stroke his jaw and brought his face back up towards her to kiss him tenderly and rest her cheek against his as she whispered how much she felt for him.

They looked at each other and their lips were about to meet again when there was a beeping sound. Leon got up with a start and looked around. He was in his apartment, alone, and his cell phone was ringing. Damn his imagination! It had felt so good that now he was feeling …uncomfortable. His very realistic dream had resulted in a bit of a problem which he would have to remedy with a very, very cold shower. Answering his phone, he recognised Hunnigans voice on the line, “What do you have for me Hunnigans?”

“Are you okay Leon? Your voice sounds a bit gruff.”

“Yeah, you just…woke me up.”

“Right. Not much info on MfE. Small organisation, 100-200 at most. However, they’ve gotten more active, and there have been some considerably large money transfers into their account. Unfortunately we couldn’t trace it, but it looks like your vacation is going to have to be cut short. We’ll need you to investigate this further.”

“Got it.” The line went dead on the other end and Leon slumped back into bed silently cursing Hunnigans for waking him up and himself for enjoying the dream so much. He’d had dreams about Angela before, but none had been as vivid as the one he’d just had. It must have been because of last night, when he had felt her luscious skin beneath his fingertips, her sinuous body rubbing up against his…damn it! He really needed that cold shower right now.

*****

Angela was relaxing on her sofa with a cup of tea. Melissa had helped Angela back to her own apartment when she woke up in the morning and she was glad to be in her own space to recover. After hearing some of the details and remembering some of last night’s events she wanted to be somewhere she felt safe and familiar. She felt miserable from the effects of the drugs she’d been given, Dr Hershey had said that recovery varied, but said she would at least be fit for duty within the next few days.

“So…who’s this Leon fellow?” Melissa asked her as she sat down next to Angela on the sofa.

Angela blushed furiously at the mention of Leon’s name. She had dreamt about him while she was under the influence of the drugs and she didn’t know whether she had mentioned him to Melissa or whether she had called out his name in her sleep. “He’s…someone I know. Did…I talk a lot in my sleep?”

It seemed Angela didn’t realise that Leon had actually been there, but before she set her straight she wanted to find out more about him and whether she really should tell Angela the truth. “I’m sorry, you don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to, plus you’re recovering so perhaps you should just take it easy.” 

“No, I want to talk about it and the things I started telling you last night. I need to get it off my chest because I haven’t felt like I could honestly express them before. It might be a long story though.”

“I’ve got all day and you’ve been there for me when I needed you. Take your time.”

*****

Melissa had been very understanding as Angela told her about her past, mostly about Curtis, his wife…and her dear nephew. She talked about Leon with more brevity, after all there wasn’t really that much she could say about him, but she did reveal the impact he had had on her. She had felt a bond with him, especially during the traumatic experience at the WilPharma facilities; and there had been a strong attraction that had developed between them during the brief period of time they had been together. It had awoken an interest in her that she hadn’t wanted to pursue for a while – the idea of a more intimate relationship with someone else. However, it seemed like a pointless result because the interest didn’t extend to other men and she hadn’t seen Leon again. They’d talked late into the afternoon and Melissa had decided to fix up something for them to eat. Angela got up to stretch her legs when she noticed a large brown envelope at her front door. It must have been slipped under her door and she opened it on the way back to the sofa.

Her stomach dropped and she felt weak in the knees as she looked at the contents. Shock and disbelief hit her as she looked at the image of a creature looking a lot like Curtis after the G-virus transformed him. She braced herself against the wall as she inhaled deeply. The pictures had slid from her grasp and fallen to the floor in front of her. She closed her eyes against the images that elicited both fear and fury. She clutched her fist as she tried to steady her emotions and the slight tremor running through her hand. How could it not be over? The photos were gut-wrenching, but she couldn’t ignore them for long. Someone had risked their life to get this information out…to her. She couldn’t turn a blind eye, she had to follow it up. And she had to see this through for Curtis and for the unfortunate victims.

*****

“I have a new appreciation of how disturbing these photos are after what you’ve told me today Angela. What…are you going to do?”

“I’m going to find whoever’s doing this and bring them to justice.”

They were tough words from Angela and Melissa guessed she was probably feeling more than she let on. “No chance that they’ve been faked?”

“I don’t think so. And that would bring up the question of why someone would put these sort of photos under my door if they weren’t real. I have an idea of who would be able to help investigate this issue, but…I have no way of contacting him. Out of…curiosity I had tried to find out more about Leon, but there was very little information to find and I have no way of contacting him. I could try taking it to some higher ups, but after WilPharma…I’m wary of the consequences if the wrong people are informed. But I can’t turn my back when it’s within my power to do something, this person took a risk to secure this information and get it to me. I’m not going to abandon the victims to their fate.”

Melissa regarded Angela in silence briefly. She didn’t know what she would have done if she had been given the information, but she probably would have passed it on to someone else to deal with. Angela, however, had seen it and known she would see it through to the end. Without her realising it, Angela had become a woman who Melissa would could get behind no matter what. “Where do I sign up?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I would definitely appreciate your help, but it’s probably better if you don’t get yourself involved Melissa.”

“Ha, second time I’ve heard that in the last two days. Always concerned about someone else’s welfare…”

Angela looked at Melissa confusedly.

“D-Don’t worry, but I’m not going to let you go it alone.”

“Melissa, the last time I investigated a large corporation my whole team paid for it. I appreciated their help, but their positions were threatened and their chances of getting promoted were ruined. If it hadn’t been for the Harvardville incident, we possibly never would have been able to continue on in the S.R.T., even if they needed us. ”

“Angela, do you really think they cared about that?”

“They had families! I was the sister to a criminal; on a mission to expose and bring down the best thing that had happened to our town. I was trying to find out the truth behind why my brother’s family died. They were getting dragged down with me for the sake of my personal crusade and I can’t understand why they would go that far.”

“You know what I admire about you Angela? Your unshakeable sense of justice and your drive to save a life at the risk of your own. We’ve all noticed it and I think your subordinates did as well. I’d follow you blindly.” 

“I…” Angela was struck by how much faith her friend had in her and by how far she was willing to go for her, “Thank you, Melissa. I can’t tell you what to do, but it’s good to know that I’ve got a friend, I’m not alone…and we’re in this together.”

“We certainly are. You do realise we’re going to have to ask Rick for resources though, right?”

Angela groaned in reply, before they both looked at each other and laughed. 

*****

A week had passed since the initial photos that Angela had received. She had shown them to Rick who had been horrified when he saw them and had said so long as she didn’t go crazy, whatever resources they had would be at her disposal. She was glad for his backing, and Melissa’s, as they pressed on together. They found several of the people in the photos were from the string of disappearances that had been reported since she’d been in Toledo. The others looked as though they had been sleeping rough for a while and she speculated they may have been homeless from Toledo. They’d hit the pavement and chased up several shelters and locations with photos of the people. Many of the photos had been identified as homeless individuals who had disappeared from the area in the past few months, but a missing persons report had never been filed for them because they had been vagrants and there was no information on them. When they questioned the community further, they were horrified at what the information implied – there were more people that had been abducted than anyone realised. She vaguely remembered her own attempted abduction incident and wondered whether it was related. Unfortunately, the man had managed to avoid his face being seen on any of the security camera footage and no one had seen anyone matching his description anywhere in the area.

With the new information, however, Angela gained assistance from the Toledo Missing Persons Unit to monitor the main shelters and locations. The second task was to identify the location of the lab where the people in the photo were being held and the culprits behind the disappearances. Her initial theories presumed that the ones, or individual, responsible were familiar with the area, which is why most of the disappearances were from downtown Toledo. Also, the lab probably wasn’t very far away as the dates of some disappearances seemed to indicate that there wasn’t a large gap between abductions. While Angela hadn’t voiced it to anyone except for Melissa, she couldn’t let go of the idea that TRICELL was linked to this. They were the ones to profit from WilPharma going down and they would have been the most plausible suspects – they have the facilities, money and manpower…and are based within the state. But with no evidence to connect them and few other leads to go on, everyone was pinning their hopes on the abductions yielding a break in the case. 

****

Since the attempted abduction on Angela two weeks ago, Leon had decided to take a new route to his investigations. Mr Sanguini may have sniffed out some trouble on the horizon and had the connections to get him involved, but he didn’t have the whole picture. His intuition told him there was more to this than a few abductions by the Mankind for Evolution. When he had been informed that the Toledo S.R.T. department had discovered that the disappearances were more extensive than previously thought he recognised there was more to the situation than any of them knew. 

He wondered briefly if that was Angela’s handiwork considering her close brush with the abductor. If it was he didn’t have to worry – she was thorough and determined. So while that avenue was pursued by Angela and her team, Leon tried to track down Angela’s assailant. A guy like that had to have had special training and with any luck he’d be on record somewhere and someone would know him.

******

Despite their efforts and the teamwork across the departments, their endeavours had been futile. For two weeks they had staked out various places and no strange individuals or disappearances were noted. However, when they revisited other locations they found that a few people had gone missing. 

“I hate to say it, but we have to consider the possibility of a leak.”

“Angela…I know this must be especially frustrating for you after the effort and work you’ve put into seeing this operation become a reality, unfortunately you and I both know how difficult it is to deal with suspicion. I’d like to think that our team is immune to it, but mistrust breaks bonds, like the ones I worked very hard to create. I know that some of you have already started doubting the other teams, and I’d hate for our own to start distrusting each other.”

“I agree Rick. I think we’re going to have to keep the MPU in the dark about mission details; I sought help from them because this is their specialty, but I wonder if someone in their group has been responsible for keeping people from noticing how interconnected the disappearances were.”

“There’s too little information to speculate, but a lot of time and resources have gone into this with no outcomes. That’s why I’ve decided on some drastic actions. I’ve spoken with the rest of the team… I’m going to let you spearhead the rest of this operation as the Unit Commander. The team trusts and respects you, and I have faith that you’ll be able to pull this off.”

“That’s a lot of trust you all have in me for having known me for a pretty short time.”

“It is, but you’ve earned it. I know you were used to holding a position of similar responsibility at your old unit, but you’ve also shown your proficiency and determination; you have a knack for strategy and this is your baby Angela. You’ll be a capable replacement for me while I stay out of this. And hopefully that should keep the MPU and other officers happy when they find out about this.”

“I wouldn’t bank on it,” Angela replied wryly. “I’d just like to say Rick… I was in a bit of a bad place before I came here and while I’m still haunted by my past, I feel like a stronger person having worked with all of you. It is a real privilege to work with such an amazing group of people and I promise you, I refuse to let you, or our team, down.”

Rick nodded in recognition of her vow, both knowing that she would not give up until she had found the answers she sought.


	9. Chapter 9 Dinner with a side of dessert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are much appreciated (especially since this isn’t a popular ship and it’s so old as well) I’d love to hear if there’s something you enjoyed reading 
> 
> Nine Inch Nails – The Beginning of the End   
> Enigma – The Eyes of truth  
> Hurt – Better

Chapter 9 - Dinner with a Side of Terrorism, But Don’t Forget the Dessert

“Charlie, Charlie, this is Alpha-Niner. The oven is hot, where are the muffins, over.”

“Alpha-Niner, this is Echo. The muffins are ready, over.”

“This is Uniform. Muffins ready, over.”

“This is India. Ditto.”

“This is Oscar. The muffins are still being mixed, over.”

“This is Alpha. Ours are ready, over.”

“Alpha-Niner, this is Echo Two. Are your buns in the oven, over.”

Angela inwardly face palmed. She was beginning to wonder about accepting Mike’s choice of code speak. He was having far too much fun with this considering the significance of their mission. “Echo Two, mind your own buns, they’re about to get toasted, out.” The size of the S.R.T. team meant that after splitting into groups of about three, they could only observe the five main locations. To ensure the success of their mission, the Toledo Police Department, MPU and Rick were unaware that they were on mission tonight and hopefully that meant the leak as well. With any luck these measures would help them capture the culprits. 

“Alpha-Niner, this is Oscar. The muffins are ready, over.”

“Roger that Oscar.” She looked down her scope at Alpha Two and Alpha Three. Melissa and Reid had concealed themselves amongst the other homeless at their location and were lying in wait for any action. Time passed, things got quieter on the road and the team maintained idle perimeter updates (and the occasional cheeky comment) to keep everyone awake and alert. While patience and luck was a key factor to the success of this mission, Angela had to question whether they might end up waiting the entire night with no results. 

“Alpha-Niner, this is Echo One. I can smell the muffins. Can I have a bite, over.”

At last! Some activity. “Echo, if the muffins are hot, you can have a taste, over.”

“Alpha-niner, this is Oscar, I want a taste too, over.”

“Negative Oscar. It will be cold by then. Wait for your own.” They all waited tersely for a reply from Mike’s team. He had indicated that he had seen someone and they waited for his confirmation that they were the perpetrators.

“This is Echo Two, we’ve got half a dozen muffins and they are hot!”

“Echo, take them now!”

“Echo Two and Echo Three, are taking out the muffins. I’m taking out the tray.”

There was silence for a while as team Echo engaged the other group and they continued to keep an eye for any movement at their own locations.

“Three muffins out, two plus the one in the tray left.”

Another long pause followed the next update from team Echo’s sniper.

“Alpha-Niner, this is Echo One, all the muffins are cooling.”

“Echo, good job. Any burns?”

“Negative. We’re putting the muffins away.”

“Roger, Echo. We’ll be waiting for our own before checking yours.”

Angela sighed in relief; they’d gotten their guys. It was funny to think how many hours and people it had taken to reach this point and then when it came to capturing them, it had taken a matter of moments and a team of three. She almost laughed. At any rate she was anxious to interrogate them as soon as possible. For now though, the remaining teams were still watching their locations for a while longer in case there were more coming.

*****

“Tell me more about your group, Mankind for Evolution.”

“I’m not talking without my lawyer.”

“Really? Well if that’s what you want to do. I just hate to see someone betrayed by their friends.”

The man looked unsure of what to do, but remained silent as Reid left the room.

“So how long do you think it’ll take?” Angela asked Reid as he entered the observation room looking into where he was conducting his interrogation.

“It’s tough to say. It’s not exactly the most reliable tactic if they catch your bluff and we don’t exactly have a lot of evidence pinning them to the other disappearances, do we?”

“No. It’s all circumstantial. We showed their pictures to the other homeless. They had been seen in the area and a few of them had seen their friends go off with them voluntarily. And MfE doesn’t seem to have ever been particularly active or aggressive. They’ve had a few small demonstrations about using the ‘technologies available to us in order for mankind to evolve and reach a higher state of being.” Angela repeated their dictum with distaste, “I’ll fight tooth and nail against that future,” she added looking at the pictures that had started her mission.

“They fit the bill pretty perfectly don’t they?” Reid replied glancing at the photos as well. “He seems to be getting pretty antsy doesn’t he? Hopefully he’ll provide us with enough information to connect them all and lead us to the ring leader. I think it would really help if you bring those in at some point.” Reid said indicating towards the photos Angela had in her hand.

“Sounds like an idea. Are you sure you won’t take it in with you now?”

“Would have been more effective if I’d taken it in at the beginning. I’ll give you a cue when I want you to come in, but I think he’s about to…” Reid trailed off as the man in the room started pulling against his restraints and calling out for someone to come back. “Best not let him think we’re that eager shall we.” Reid said winking at Angela and taking his time to re-enter.

“Listen, I haven’t done anything! We were all just helping out some bums when you guys attacked us!”

Reid sat down in front of the man, his calmness contrasted starkly in comparison to the other’s agitation. “You’re going to have to give me something better than that Davey. My partner has some very disturbing evidence and that excuse is not going to fly for either of us.”

“There’s nothing else…” he weakly protested as Angela entered the room. She was carrying the pictures in her hand and she had put them down in front of Davey. 

“Really? You mean to tell us that you pick up these people and then what? They disappear into thin air? I think you know exactly what happens to them. This!” She barked at him showing the picture of someone transforming after being infected with the G-virus. His faced turned pale at the sight of it, but she continued, “How many have you picked up? There are over 200 missing people within the last four months missing from the homeless community, how many of them were you responsible for putting in that chair?!” She hadn’t really thought of how she would approach the interrogation, but she hadn’t expected herself to react the way did and she stepped back from Davey as she caught sight of the raw emotion that looked back at her in the two way mirror.

“No! No! I swear I didn’t know it was this! We just, we were just so thrilled about getting recognition finally…and the funding! They gave us money, to do whatever we needed to do and to help them get subjects for the research. They said, they wanted the ragtag of society, because that’s where the most benefit would be seen – no one noticed them before, but they would make them healthier, stronger and better and then society would take notice of them and appreciate them. I…I had no idea! This isn’t what we wanted!”

“Davey…” Reid said while Angela took a seat beside him and schooled her face to hide her distress. “You had best start from the beginning. Who are these people who you’re talking about?”

“I don’t really know. There were two of them who came to our group one day. They said they believed in us and wanted to help. They just needed willing volunteers and we…we did volunteer! But they told us that we needed to really make an impression on the rest of society.”

“Do you remember what they look like? Have you seen them since?”

“No…that was the only time we saw them. After that Juliet dealt with them I think. That was five months ago and I never really got a good look at them. But I got the impression that one was rich or a businessman and the other, some sort of scientist. They both must have been middle aged but the one doing all the talking was really smartly dressed and the other guy looked a bit geeky, he was quieter.”

“So are the six of you the only ones doing this? How long has it been going on for?”

“I’m not sure to be honest. We were…chosen to gather people, but we were told it couldn’t be traced back to the rest and we had to keep to ourselves as much as possible. We haven’t really been in contact with the others for the past few months apart from when we met at the dock…We started about five months ago; go out maybe twice a week and get about two or three people each time. But we’d gotten a call about two months ago telling us they needed more and we’ve been picking up a dozen or more in a week.”

“Did you know the person who called you?”

“Yeah, it was Juliet. She said that unfortunately some of them had been really sick and the tests couldn’t be done on them. She said that…if they had more people then maybe they’d be able to get their research done quicker and be able to help the sick ones.”

Angela clenched her jaw at what Davey told them. He’d been a naïve misguided fool and she recognised what a shock it must have been to find out what really had been happening to the people he took, but he had been too careless for her to forgive him and she interjected before Reid could continue his questioning, “If you thought that you were helping them you wouldn’t have used force. What did you tell them….to make them come with you?” 

Her eyes looked at him resolutely and he couldn’t face her as he replied. “We…I…took advantage of their weaknesses. We offered drugs, food, booze, shelter, even dogs to play with. So many of them had been so trusting. We said that we would take them to a better place and it seemed like that was happening. We had instructions to take them out to this abandoned warehouse that was set up like a shelter and hospital; we’d leave them there and when we came back later they were all in these tubes, but they were looking good; clean and groomed, rested... The doctors said they were in stasis chambers to recover and get healthy on the way to the lab.”

Her blood ran cold at his answer. Davey seemed to care about them, so why would he be so stupid to think that what was happening was good? Why didn’t he question it? She wanted to rip the answers from him, but they weren’t as important as the facts and she bit her tongue as she let Reid continue with the interview.

“Did you know anyone from the warehouse?”

“We would see the same doctors when we came through, they’d help us get the people out before taking them for a medical assessment. But we never exchanged names. And even at the dock we just handed them over to the guys there.”

“What would happen at the dock exchange? Tell us as much as you can about what you saw and who you spoke with.”

“We usually get a call from Juliet to tell us when to go pick up the people and drop them at the docks. Maybe every fortnight, and always the same pier, 11. We’d drive the containers over and then let the others take it. They put them on the ship. But it wasn’t always the same guys when we were there, they’d rotate around, but there’s always quite a lot of them there. Some of them were MfE, but I didn’t know who the others were. They looked pretty intimidating and when I tried talking to them they said they were just hired to operate the machinery and weren’t there to chat. I always thought my fellow MfE at the dock were shameful because all they seemed to care about was the money they were getting.”

“When are you likely to get another call?”

“Probably…in a few days. It’s been a week since the last dock visit.”

“Will you cooperate with us Davey? To bring down the ones responsible for ‘that’?” Reid said indicating the photos. 

He nodded. “What…whatever you want. I can’t believe…what I’ve done.”

Angela couldn’t hold her tongue any longer, “Davey, you don’t get to wallow in self-pity. What you get to do, is put this right. It’s the best justice for your actions and ignorance.”

He nodded mutely before Reid stood him up and directed him back to his cell. Angela remained behind a moment to compose herself. She stared at the pictures of the people strapped down to the operating table looking terrified and the rows and rows of them in stasis chambers, unaware of what they would be facing. She hadn’t even conducted the interview and she was emotionally taxed by what she had been told. He didn’t even seem to question what was happening once. 

“Hey are you okay?” Reid said resting a hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry Reid, I didn’t think I’d be that…explosive. When I look at the pictures…at the terror on their faces when they’re confronted by the virus…I imagine what it was like for…” she couldn’t finish her sentence and didn’t correct Reid when he said what he thought he had been thinking

“It’s okay. All of us know you were part of the team deployed to deal with the T-virus outbreak, I know none of us have been through that, but we’re here if you need to talk about it.”

Angela appreciated the thought, but the photos hadn’t been a trigger for the events at Harvardville. They’d brought forward images of her nephew and sister-in-law living their last moments in fear and pain.

*****

“Patrick? He was sacked a while ago. Kept skiving off when he was supposed to be working, doing god only knows what. Don’t expect to see him again. Is that all you wanted to know Mr Smith?”

“No. That’s all, thanks.” Leon hung up the phone. His conversation with the TRICELL employee had just cemented in his mind the large pharmaceutical company’s involvement with MfE and the abductions. The man who tried to take Angela away had had one distinguishing feature, a tattoo on the back of his hand. It had been a pretty time consuming search, but eventually it had led to a Special Forces team that had gone MIA. One of them had a tattoo which matched the one he had seen and was a good match for the man from the club. Similarly, running his face through the Homeland Security database showed him in Toledo multiple times and he was still on file as an active security employee at TRICELL. So, it was very convenient that the one person they knew of and who could link TRICELL to the abductions was sacked and missing at the moment. While his current investigations hadn’t been fruitless, they were moving along too slowly.

“Hunnigans, I need your expertise.”

“What is it Leon?”

“I need you to follow up some things. I want you to track down the members of an MIA Special Forces group, and I want you to look into TRICELL. Be especially scrupulous when it comes to them. I’m sending the details over to you now.” 

“Will do, Leon.”

As Leon put away his phone, he looked up at the neon sign flashing in front of him. It was about time Mr Sanguini started singing.

***** 

“Good evening Mr Kennedy, how good to see you again. Did you enjoy what our young patron had to offer the other night? You were very…cosy with her. And after the doctor said she would be easily impelled in her state, I had to wonder…who really was responsible for slipping her the drugs.”

“What are you implying Mr Sanguini?” Leon ground out. He was furious at what the man was hinting at. His actions had been inappropriate that night, but he never would have gone that far if it wasn’t for their history. 

“I’m not implying Mr Kennedy. I have footage of you. Firstly taking advantage of her in the private booth and then again of you in the shower.”

At the mention of having footage of Angela in the shower, Leon had grabbed Mr Sanguini by throat faster than his bodyguards could react. This disgusting scumbag had filmed her in the bathroom…when she was vulnerable and exposed…and just because he wanted some leverage against him. “Listen you filth. I take care of trash; trash that would have you crying like a baby, and when I’ve got some in front of me, I don’t hesitate to take it out. So, give me a reason not to do exactly that right now.”

Mr Sanguini had been shaken up by Leon’s actions. He hadn’t been expecting the government agent to actually threaten him and to be able to render his bodyguards useless. “Pl-please wait! Some of the boys that come through my other establishments, they’re with that terrorist group, MfE. They always talk about the shipments that they have to cart around the place. They say it’s usually people, but sometimes other things, research things, and about every fortnight they have new lot come through.”

“Just when were you about to share this information with me Mr Sanguini?” 

“I-I-…next week, it goes down next week. Shouldn’t you act quickly Mr Kennedy? Jason has full details, if you would let go of me, please.”

Leon brusquely let him drop to the floor. “You’d best watch yourself Mr Sanguini, you should be more aware of whom my employers are and of what I’m investigating. If you’re not careful, I might start thinking you’re involved with all this as well. Remember that for next time.”


	10. Chapter 10 Dancing in the dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nine Inch Nails – the good soldier

“This is Charlie One; we’re in position. Facilitator is approaching the drop off point. 10 men located outside. Cannot confirm whether they’re armed.”

Angela heard Gavin over the headsets. Davey would be approaching the pier with his load of ‘homeless’ (actually S.R.T. officers undercover). He had received different instructions from usual from Juliet – take the people he had picked up straight to the docks instead and join the others moving containers across the state. Despite the huge risks to the members going undercover – the unknown situation and dangers, limited Intel about what they would be facing, potential casualties – nobody turned down the assignment. They had found the warehouse Davey had told them about completely cleared out and they knew they needed to follow this lead - the G-virus was too serious not to take the risk.

Angela and her team of three moved into their secondary positions as a cargo ship came into sight. Alert, they watched as it landed in the docks and was being secured. There looked to be about thirty men at the dock: several were inside the warehouse; some operating machinery to unload the containers from the ship and onto awaiting trucks; while most of the others seemed to be doing menial tasks about the place, probably MFE’s men keeping an eye out for trouble. One of the guys pulled his jacket to the side to pull out a cigarette, briefly flashing his handgun. “This is Alpha One; we have confirmation that there are firearms, but exercise caution - some of them may be unarmed.” 

With that, the three teams received their orders and moved in on their target. They moved stealthily, taking out a few stragglers silently and disarming a few others. They would ambush the group and round up the all the men, but only when all the containers were safely off the ship. So far things were going smoothly and Angela and her group spread out a bit; they were on the larger more secluded side and it looked like there weren’t too many men on their side. The rest of her team moved further towards the ship and took up their positions. Keeping an eye out for any movement she noticed a man with a cap over his face coming from the back of the building not far from her. She couldn’t afford to let him find her team and she moved towards him quickly ready to take him out.

Grabbing the man by surprise, she managed to get him to his knees, the plan being to knock him out. However, after the initial shock the man sprang into action and knocked her onto her back, extracting a soft grunt from her as she hit the concrete. It was dark, but Angela could make out his silhouette standing up quickly, ready to take her out. She was winded, but she had to act quickly. She kicked his feet out from under him and rolled away as he fell down. Unfortunately, she didn’t manage to get out of reach and the man grabbed her before she could activate her headset to call for back up.

They kicked and punched each other on the ground a few times before he got Angela in the gut winding her a bit. She gasped as her body slackened a bit giving him enough time to grab her hands and restrain them above her head as his body pinned her down. A gunshot rang out loud in the silence before all hell soon broke loose. 

 

Leon skulked around the warehouse unnoticed. He was pretending to be one of the other MFE members helping out, but he’d have thought they would recognise their own members or at least keep track of who was supposed to be there, but nobody had paid him much heed. It surprised him, but he wasn’t complaining, it made his job infiltrating their operation here tonight easier. From what he could tell, there seemed to be around twenty men from MFE and the others appeared to be military – some he recognised from the MIA Special Forces team he had been investigating – his theory definitely had some weight. The warehouse didn’t have any real clues or anything incriminating, but there were a few trucks waiting to be loaded with containers. Hopefully he would be able to hijack one of them after the containers came off the ship and find out more about what was being transported. Leon saw the man who seemed to be directing the others move towards the other end of the warehouse, towards a small room that acted like an office. Moving unseen, he neared the office and could make out one side of a conversation.

“Yeah, let them know it just came in... I had a look around just to make sure…A few stranglers to include, but we got a few more of the boys to help move the stuff…Course they don’t have a clue about what the hell they’re really doing! You think those idiots would still be hanging around if they knew?...Ha ha, well we’ll be joining up on route 77 tomorrow… We’ll be joining the others now that Phase One is nearly complete... Phase two isn’t our problem - it’s just one person and until we get pulled in, there’s no point getting involved…Right, we’ll meet there.”

The man hung up and Leon quickly made his way out the back before he was seen. Unfortunately, the man hadn’t revealed any details, but the implication had been that their end-game was something even MFE wouldn’t want a part of. Leon was hoping that he had come onto this operation early enough to stymie whatever was going on here, but it looked like it may have already been in full swing. Phase One was likely related to the abductions – the high numbers indicated that it was probably for experimentation - but now that that was complete, what did that have to do with the individual required for their Phase Two? He was positive TRICELL was involved, but what was their end goal? The events and actions of the people involved indicated that this wasn’t anything legal or legitimate, but he had to question why here? This was a highly populated area and conducting experiments without getting found wouldn’t be easy. He didn’t want to assume that one of the viruses was at the heart of it, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was developing a Biological Weapon. Leon didn’t get a chance to think about it further though as he was suddenly hit from behind.

Leon fell to his knees, stunned for a moment from the blow before he quickly acted and knocked his assailant to the ground. They tussled for a while until a particularly hard punch connected with his attacker’s gut and winded them. A particularly feminine gasp was expelled before her body slackened enough for him to pin her down with his body and restrain her hands above her head. Suddenly a gunshot rang clear in the night.

“Alpha three is down, Alpha three is down. Engage! Engage!”

Angela could hear the shouting over the headset, but she couldn’t do anything under this guy. “S***! You’re obstructing an officer of the law, get off me!” She yelled before kneeing him in the crotch.

The man groaned and slid off her. She was about to knock him out when she recognised his voice, “Angela, it’s me.”

Angela was shocked motionless. Was that…it couldn’t be him. Did she really hear correctly? “Leon?” she said stretching out her hand out slowly to help him to his feet.

“Yeah. We could have killed each other. Not to mention you got the drop on me a few times there,” he said while slowly getting up with Angela’s help.

More orders were barked over the headset and Angela was snapped back to reality. Now was not the time to be distracted; Reid had just been shot – she couldn’t be here…she needed to be there for them. “Leon…I don’t know what you’re doing here, but I’m sure as hell we could use your help.” She said as she looked at him hopefully.

He desperately wanted to stay with her and make sure everything was alright, but he couldn’t just yet, “Angela, I have to secure the containers, or get a sample of whatever it is that’s in there. I’ll come to you the moment I can.”

“I understand, but I’m the only one who knows who you are. If you turn up in front of the others with a gun, they won’t hesitate.”

“Don’t worry about it Angela, just worry about your team and yourself - you’re dealing with Special Forces out there, so fight dirty if you have to.”

“I…thanks. And be careful Leon.” 

They briefly exchanged a small smile before Leon watched Angela dash off in the direction of her teammates. He took a few moments to recover a bit; he hadn’t been expecting Angela and her team to be here and it had put a spanner in his plan. They’d only managed to unload a few containers and it was unlikely that they would be following their original plan now unless some of them were able to get away. If he had known the S.R.T. were going to be here anyway, he would have coordinated with them even if he had had orders to keep everything as low-key as possible. Regardless, he had to try to recover whatever he could and he ran towards some of the trucks trying to escape the dock. 

 

As Angela raced to help her team she couldn’t help letting her thoughts stray briefly to Leon. She had no idea that he would show up again like this…did it mean he was investigating the virus experimentation as well? She pushed those thoughts out of her head though when she reached the rest of the team and found that things were not going well. They were under heavy fire from MFE’s ‘hired muscle’ – they were a small group, but being Special Forces, they were organised and had superior weaponry. She managed to surprise them with a spray of bullets as she had approached them that injured one and took out another, but she now took cover behind a truck beside Melissa. The MFE men themselves were nowhere to be seen, but at least Reid’s injury wasn’t life threatening.

“Good to see you’re still fine and dandy girl. Who’d have thought the b******* would have given us this much trouble.”

“They’re ex-Special Forces.”

“S***t! Where’d you get that info from?”

“Leon, he’s here too, but I’m worried about one of us taking him out accidentally.”

“I’m sure he can take care of himself honey, he’s a big boy. Right now, we’ve got these idiots to worry about shooting us new breathing holes.”

“That’s true. I didn’t think it’d be as bad as this Melissa. Gavin’s team is in a snipers position, but he hasn’t had a clear shot to be able to take them out at all; they’re Special Forces and they haven’t let up sufficiently for any of us to get a good shot; and we can’t use any explosives because we don’t know what, or who, is in the containers.”

“Did I ask for a depressing sum up of the situation?”

“Sorry. It’s just that we’re going to have to do something…Give me a lift up. The others aren’t able to get a higher vantage point, but I might be able to get them off guard from up there,” Angela said looking at the flat top of the tall dock vehicle. From her position on top of the vehicle she could see the other men clearly. She might be able to take out two to three of them before they might react or take cover. Breathing evenly she took aim, and squeezed the trigger. Two had probably been kill shots, while two more appeared to be fatally wounded before they retreated to better shelter. Another had been taken out by Gavin while he had been making his way to join his comrades. That left four of them and the rain of bullets had stopped and allowed the rest of the team to approach them. Suddenly Angela heard the others yelling, “Take cover! They’ve got grenades!”

They were all sitting ducks. Most of the team were in such close quarters they wouldn’t be able to escape any explosives thrown and Angela scrambled from the vehicle as she saw a dark object flying through the sky towards the two of them. She grabbed Melissa’s shoulder and dragged her, “Run!!” She yelled as the two of them sprinted towards the dock edge and the rain of bullets started again. Melissa was hit in the leg and as the grenade exploded behind them, they were sent flying over the edge. They plunged into the black icy water beneath and Angela had a moment of déjà vu as tonight’s events shared several similarities to one that occurred a year ago. It took her a few moments for her to swim to the surface after their sudden impact with the water and she looked around for Melissa. She spotted her struggling in the water, illuminated by the lights on the dock. She must have been injured, because she was usually an excellent in water and Angela swam over to her to help her stay afloat while they looked for a way back to the top of the dock.

Their headsets were ruined in the water, so they could no longer communicate with their team, but fortunately there was a ladder a short distance away from them. They could still hear gunfire and while they knew the other group’s numbers had dwindled, they didn’t know who else on their team may have been caught in the explosion. It was a hard and time consuming slog getting up the rickety ladder, especially with Melissa being unable to use her leg properly, but they cautiously scoped the area out over the edge. It looked clear, but as Angela helped pull Melissa up further, one of the Special Forces men was in front of them. Caught by surprise, he managed to grab Angela by the throat as she struggled to keep her foothold on the slippery ladder rungs and fight him off. He started lifting her up and she knew she didn’t stand a chance against his stronger build and most likely his greater experience and skills. Still, she couldn’t just give in and lifting her leg she kicked him in the abdomen. He lost his balance and tipped forward towards the water, with Angela still in his grasp.


	11. Chapter 11 To any depth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Limp Bizcut - Hold on  
> Megahertz – Augenblick
> 
> Enjoy, I could spend another two months rewriting…but I figure this is long overdue as it is…
> 
> WARNING: Drowning. Not sure if the scene I wrote would be a trigger for some people, but I wanted to make sure people were aware that I describe it with some detail and I didn’t want it to upset or hurt anyone. It will be in italics so you can skip over it.

Melissa could only stare as Angela plunged into the inky waters again. His hold on her had been vice-like and she could see Angela struggling in his grasp. She didn’t have time to waste though - if she didn’t get help Angela would be leaving the docks in a body bag. As she pulled herself over the edge she lost sight of Angela as she was dragged below the water. Yelling for her team was the only way she could alert them without her headset, even if it did mean that the soldiers might target her, “Alpha Two is in the water! Backup needed! A-Alpha…Angela’s being drowned!” 

……………………………

Leon tried to forget that Angela and the other officers were out there fighting against those men, but he hated not being there to watch her back. He could tell that they needed help, but he had to recover a sample of what was in the containers and he worked faster to take out the stragglers that hadn’t managed to escape with their containers as yet. He’d secured two, but the locking mechanism was digital. While he was familiar with the technology he knew there was no way he was going to be able to open it without the key. He didn’t bother to waste his time trying to get in and instead made to move the containers to the location he had secured nearby before. It didn’t take long, but after moving the second container he heard an explosion from the docks. 

“Shit! Angela!” His heart started pounding as the adrenaline hit his system and spurred him into action. He couldn’t help but worry that she might have been caught in the blast and he couldn’t keep the images of her injured…or dead…from entering his head. Reaching the docks he could see that the explosion had taken out a crane and some vehicles leaving debris and hazardous obstacles in the way. A flicker to his right exposed one of the Special Forces soldiers making their way towards him and he reacted swiftly. He didn’t know where Angela or her team were, but hopefully they wouldn’t mistake him for the enemy. Though, right now he couldn’t think about that as his fight required his full attention, especially if he wanted to track her down quickly and make sure she was alright.

Leon had got the other man into a chokehold; a few S.R.T. officers had seen him tussling with their opponent and had used the opportunity to take out the few remaining soldiers while they were surprised by the back up. They’d reached him as the soldier finally passed out, but obviously were playing it cautious as they still had their weapons trained on him. It seemed that all the threats were taken care of, but he still couldn’t see Angela.

“U.S. Government Agent Leon Kennedy. My mission is classified, but I’m guessing we’re here for the same reason. I’m a friend of Angela Miller. Is she safe? I don’t see her.”

His behaviour and mention of Angela satisfied them sufficiently for them to lower their weapons as they replied, “We lost contact with her after the explosion, but we haven’t been able to search the area because of those a*******. Angela and our other teammate Melissa are-“ He didn’t get to finish, however, as he was interrupted by Melissa yelling. 

“Alpha Two is in the water! Backup needed! A-Alpha…Angela’s being drowned!”

“Gavin! We don’t have visual on Melissa, can you see her?” 

“3 ‘o’ clock, 50 clicks. She looks injured.” 

“50 clicks, West!” 

Leon wasn’t the first to react, but he outran them as he made his way towards where Angela was. With all the wreckage in the way, the other S.R.T. officers struggled to make it through and opted to go around. He made quick and easy work of steering his way through and over it rather than around and reached Melissa ahead of the others.

“Leon! Down there. One of the soldiers dragged her under”

Before she had a chance to finish he dove into the water, just catching the end of her sentence. He silently cursed when he realised that her opponent was probably using his underwater endurance training to try to drown her. Even if Angela could manage hand to hand with him on land, going against them underwater was a completely different playing field. One she probably had little chance of coming out of alive.   
………………………..

Angela struggled desperately against the man; he’d been choking her before they fell in and now he still hadn’t relinquished his hold on her. She fought to reach her gun, but she was frantic for air. Her lungs were tightening, burning for oxygen as she tried to fight the reflex to breath. He didn’t do anything except restrain her, confident that he would drown her before he needed oxygen and without needing to exert much effort. She had to fight the panic and pain to kick herself away from him. Her struggles forced him to try to get a better grip on her and the action gave her time to grab her firearm and shoot him in the leg. Even if she had managed to wound him though she was fighting a losing battle - she couldn’t stop herself from trying to breath. Gulping in water, her throat constricted – a reflex to prevent her from inhaling more water. Fighting the fear she felt, she fired off a few more rounds at him as he completely released his grip on her to get to her gun, but she couldn’t focus anymore. No air, lungs burning, the lack of oxygen was making functioning difficult. Her gun was lost in the underwater skirmish and she tried to reach the surface to get some air. She was too far, however, and he obviously knew it as he released her and swam away from her. He knew that she wouldn’t reach the surface in time…she would not be coming out of the water alive.

The reflex that had been saving her from taking in water was weakening with the lack of oxygen. Her lungs were on fire and she took a gulp of water as if it was air. Her throat constricted briefly, before it relaxed again. She didn’t realise that she was taking in more breaths of water and her brain weakly registered that she was dying as she slowly sunk further into the water. Her final thoughts were of her deceased family and her fallen comrades who she would now be joining. She regretted that she would be leaving her new team so soon; Melissa, who had become a close and fast friend; and Leon. Apart from her family, Leon was one of her biggest regret. She regretted that she longed for him; that her heart sped up at the thought of him; that her heart physically hurt because she felt so strongly about him but she wouldn’t be with him; that the opportunity to change both their situations would be lost because after running into him she was going to die here…

…

…

…

………………..

Leon pulled out his flashlight after entering the water. He hoped that he wasn’t far from where she was because there was little light from above and his flashlight wasn’t strong enough to penetrate very far in the water. He was relatively deep but he still couldn’t see her anywhere around him. He knew he had to hurry - she could be sinking... getting further and further away from him every second, reducing his chances of finding her, and her chances of surviving. He continued to dive deeper. The water was cold and heavy, a blanket enveloping him, quieting all the noises from above. He heard a muted splash that reverberated through the water, probably one of her other teammates entering the water. It was unnerving how quiet and peaceful it was when his own heartbeat hammered so loudly within him. It didn’t reflect his turbulent anxiety and fear about finding her, how he could have been searching in the wrong spot. She could be just a few feet from him. He would never know and he would be failing her in one of the worst ways possible. Leon could feel his own lungs start to burn and knew he needed to get some air soon…but he needed to press on just a little bit longer. He couldn’t waste time going back for air.

His heart stopped. He could see a hand and what looked like the top of a helmet. There was only one body in front of him and as he swam quickly towards it he recognised her S.R.T uniform. He would have sighed in relief if he could, but he grabbed her and started swimming to the top with her. He gave her what little breath he had as he used his flashlight to signal to those above that he had found her. Before long he was joined by another S.R.T. member and as they emerged Leon looked at Angela to see that her lips were blue and her skin pale. Letting the other S.R.T. officer move them both towards the dock, he continued to give her mouth-to-mouth. Fortunately the remaining S.R.T. had set up a pulley to hoist her up so little time would be wasted. They secured her and as she was lifted up Leon rushed up the ladder to be with her.

He was slightly out of breath as he bolted towards her on the ground. Melissa had mouthed to one of the S.R.T. blocking Leon’s way and he made room for Leon to kneel down next to her. They had stripped off Angela’s outer gear and were searching for a pulse as one of the others performed mouth-to-mouth. As he watched the scene flow out in slow-motion he thought he truly understood why someone would want to create the T-virus…to create something that could bring a person back to life. When he saw them start CPR after realising there was no pulse, the feeling of wishing the T-virus actually worked bubbled up like thick tar clawing its way up his insides. He had no idea that he would feel this way seeing her like this and it frightened him more than anything else had in his life. It frightened him that their connection could be so strong after such a brief encounter and for a moment he wondered if part of the reason why he never went back to her was because he was afraid…

Sounds of retching and coughing brought the situation back into focus and he unclenched his fist, unaware that his body had been tensed this entire time. She was rolled onto her side carefully to help her expel the liquids before she was rolled back onto her back. “Angela…” he called gently looking at her pale skin. Her lips were no longer the dark blue it had looked in the water, but her body was still cold.

“Secure her head again Mike and somebody get some blankets and the oxygen as soon as the van gets here. Angela. Angela can you hear me? It’s Daniel.”

She didn’t seem to register her teammate’s question instead focussing on the first voice she had heard, “Leon…?” her voice was a raspy whisper and it tugged at his heart to hear her in this condition.

“I’m right here Angela.” He said picking up one of her hands to comfort and warm between his own.

“It was…you, wasn’t it...thank you…”


	12. Chapter 12 Ignorant cats and irritated lions

Leon was glad that he had the chance to spend a bit of time with Angela before having to follow up with his investigations. It meant that he could watch over her until Melissa would be able to take over. Angela had been fortunate in escaping both death and brain damage, but she had contracted pneumonia and would probably be out of action for at least three weeks. She would need a lot of rest and someone there to look after her as she would be too weak to do anything herself. He knew he probably wouldn’t be able to look after her for longer than a few days before having to continue with his work and so he took the opportunity to speak to Melissa, who was also at the hospital being treated for a bullet wound.

“Now then lover-boy, are you going to be staying to help fix this mess?” Melissa quipped when she saw him approach her hospital bed.

“Melissa-” Leon had started to say before she interrupted him.

“Hey I’m not holding you responsible Leon, but I am thinking that things would have turned out different if you had stayed that night. Well things would have turned out a lot worse if you hadn’t been there at all that night or last night either. I’ve lost comrades before Leon, but…I think she’s my best friend and I haven’t had one since I was 13. So thank you for saving my best friend, but what you’re doing to her -and yourself - is almost as painful for me as losing her because it hurts me that I can’t help her. And it’s this vicious cycle where she feels terrible and responsible for the way I feel and I feel bad that I’m making her feel worse and when you both want the same things… isn’t it better to have loved and lost than to dwell on what could have been?”

Leon froze for a bit. He wasn’t expecting the impassioned pep-talk from Melissa. It was probably fuelled by painkillers, but it showed how much she cared for her and it reinforced the fact that he knew she would be there for Angela when he had to leave… temporarily of course, “Melissa…I need you to look after Angela until I return. I’ve probably got two days if I’m lucky that I can spend with her, but she has pneumonia and I need to know that she’s going to have someone there to look after her until I can come back. I don’t want to ask this of you when you’re injured, but even though you’re the only friend of hers I know, I know that you’ll be able to give her the care she needs...until I come back.” Leon added the last part in case she hadn’t realised that he was only leaving for a short period of time.

“Err….yeah, you don’t even need to ask, course I’ll be there. I get out today and have some paperwork to sort, but then I have time off cause of my leg…” she looked a bit sheepish as she replied.

“Thanks Melissa…and for the pep-talk too. I think both Angela and I are aware of…the way we feel, but external factors make things a bit difficult…so we’ll just have to see how it all plays out. I’m glad to see that you’re okay though. See you in a few days, look after yourself.” 

*****

Leon had had a day and a half with Angela before he’d had a call from Hunnigans; it turned out he wouldn’t be exempt from the bureaucracy this time unfortunately. Some fat cat had apparently heard about the mission and wasn’t happy because he felt that Leon had abandoned his duties when he had rushed to the dock to assist the S.R.T. members conducting their own separate operation and save one of their members. It was ridiculous because the mission had been a success considering he was working solo and was therefore only able to secure two trucks before the others had been taken away. And once he had accomplished that he had known there wasn’t any other evidence in the area…apart from the men at the dock. Of course, the S.R.T. had detained the living members that had attacked them and done an excellent job of ensuring that there were at least a few of them alive and well to interrogate. So, ignoring the fact that he already had a relationship with Angela, saving one of their talented and experienced members would mean that he could leverage off of that good will to convince them to partner with him to achieve the best outcome possible. It’s almost as if the idiot politician didn’t know how to multi-task. However, all this still meant that he had to go waste his time listening to some idiot who didn’t know jack lecture him about duty when he needed to be here looking after Angela.

His thoughts swirled around in a flurry of annoyance with having to leave her and anxiety about how she would be while he was gone. Melissa would be arriving in 20 minutes, but he needed to leave now in order to reach the meeting location in time. It was difficult leaving her side when she was so ill. It didn’t help that he hadn’t been in this sort of situation for quite a while and didn’t know how to deal with his emotions. His time since joining the Racoon Police Department all those years ago were punctuated with losing companions and friends to violent ends, not watching them suffer while he could do nothing about it. As he left the building, he decided the sooner he got it over and done with the sooner he could return to her side to make sure she was okay.

*****  
Leon returned to Angela’s apartment a few days later; the meeting had been frustrating because it was a well-intentioned, but ignorant self-righteous politician thinking that he would be helping Leon complete his mission by telling him that he wasn’t doing his job well enough. After Leon had very bluntly told him that perhaps if he’d been given the mandate to include the local authorities they’d have far exceeded their expectations for the mission, it having already been a success. He was on the cusp of calling the man an ignoramus before he’d been told to involve whoever he needed to, to get the job done. At that point Leon was still tempted to call him an ignoramus because it seemed like all the man had wanted to do was appear as though he was in charge and directly contributing to the success of Leon’s mission. Of course, after his long-winded meeting with that frustrating fat cat, he’d been roped into debriefing and getting stuck in related, but useless meetings.   
All in all, it meant that it had taken this long to get back to her and Leon sighed as he leaned back in his chair after wiping some of the sweat that had appeared on her brow and neck. The slightly cool cloth seemed to help with some of the discomfort she seemed to be experiencing, but her breathing was still laboured. There wasn’t much else he could do at this point and as he hadn’t slept well the entire time he’d been away, he figured it was best to get a bit of rest. It felt like he had just closed his eyes when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. It was Hunnigans calling him again and while he knew he shouldn’t shoot the messenger, he was pretty darn tempted to at the moment. He’d only slept for about 2 hours and he got up groggily to answer the phone in the other room.

“What do you have for me Hunnigans? Have you got the containers open?”

“No hello Leon? You’re normally a bit more polite than this. Then again from what I heard of your meeting the other day with Mr Brady you haven’t been in a very good mood. Then again, he does have that effect on people.”

“Hunnigans…it’s 4 in the morning and I went to sleep at 2.”

“Sorry Leon. I was hoping I’d be able to cheer you up. I’ve got good news for you…but it’s going to mean that you’re not going to get much rest.”


	13. Chapter 13 Still unknown

Leon trudged up the side of the forested mountain puffing slightly – the air was thinner and he’d been pushing himself as hard as he could without risking exhaustion. He was keen to reach their target as soon as possible, but the helicopter had to set him down at the base in case they were alerted to his presence and went on the defensive…or disappeared. His objective was to make contact with a doctor who had been involved in a research programme that Angela’s would-be Special Forces kidnapper had been a part of. Following a series of unusual and suspicious events – including the team going MIA - they had become a recluse and retreated to this mountain. While the S.R.T. were currently holding a few of the SF team in a cell for interrogation, they didn’t have much information on them. Being able to find out more would probably put him in Angela’s commanding officer’s good books and hopefully make him more conducive to working together…which he needed. There was definitely something going on and they had to try to stop this before it even started. Hopefully the good doctor would be obliging.

It was day three of his trek and even though he was already ahead of his schedule despite the steep and rugged terrain he wondered, not for the first time in his career, why he never got a mission that required being on a beach or…diving. As his thoughts strayed back to Angela, as it often did nowadays, a glint of light in the hill in front of him caught his attention. Looking closer he could tell that there seemed to be something artificial about the landscape in front of him, but it was so well camouflaged he would never have been able to find it from the air. With Step One accomplished (find the Doctor), Step Two, don’t get killed by them might be a bit trickier… 

>>>>>>>>>>

“Well Dr Shultz, I have to say thanks for not setting the hounds on me when you saw me coming up.”

“…I wanted to. I thought that McIntyre had finally decided to tie up the last loose end…but then I realised he wouldn’t have sent just one man trekking all the way up here, not when he has his minions at his disposal.”

“McIntyre, your deceased colleague? And do you mean the Special Forces team?”

“Yes…but anybody who knew him didn’t believe he died. Not sure if there’s anyone else beside myself who’s still alive to be honest, but I don’t intend to find out…”

“Could you tell me more about Dr McIntyre and the programme?” The most Leon was able to get was a death certificate for Dr McIntyre, who had been running the research programme with the SF team. He’d been killed in a lab fire shortly after being dismissed from his role, but even more interesting was the fact that a few weeks after the doctor’s death, the SF team went MIA. Out of the entire research team, Dr Shultz had been the only living member that they could tie to the programme and the team.

“McIntyre….was a frightening man. When I think back, I realise he was a psychopath, but he could come across as very charming, and he used that to fool us all as to what he was really doing. He didn’t have any remorse or guilt and had a blatant disregard for people. He had no ethical compass at all…and it only took the death of Dr…Dr Lee for me to realise it. He never approved of McIntyre’s methods or his goals. The rest of us were a little too afraid to be so obvious in our disapproval, but he was brave and believed that the board would do the right thing and disqualify McIntyre if they had the evidence. Before anything could happen, he died after his car had a mechanical failure and crashed. They say it was because he had gambling debts…but I knew Michael! He definitely wasn’t a gambler. He was earnest and honourable and wanted to speak out about McIntyre’s inhuman actions…”

“What…exactly was McIntyre doing that drove Dr Lee to speak out?”

“He was running an experimental human enhancement trial with a group of SF that had volunteered for the programme. Our drug had been successful in the lab and we needed to move on to testing on human subjects. What we didn’t realise was that McIntyre was running additional trials in parallel…he was infecting civilians with the T-virus and trialling our drug on them…to see if he could control them! I don’t know how he got hold of it in the first place, but it’s not like he cared for rules, or people – he was cruel and sadistic and probably enjoyed the entire thing. In the end, I’m pretty sure that the board had an inkling of what he was doing and were actively ignoring his methods in favour of what they wanted accomplished. When the fire happened…we all thought it was too convenient. He was the only one in the lab and the flames had been so intense that there was no way of identifying him…so we just had to assume from the entry records it was him. I feared the fact that he may still be alive and that’s what drove me to leave my job and isolate myself here. I thought I would be safe here, but you managed to find me…and if you did, that means someone else eventually will too. I’ve been too afraid to try and speak out about what happened, but I can’t just let this information sit with me and gather dust…take everything I’ve got on the programme and get out of here. And make sure those civilians get justice.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Angela shivered beneath the layers of bedding; she would have winced if she had had the energy for it, but muscle pains weren’t the worst of it right now. She was short of breath and just breathing exacerbated the stabbing pain she felt in her chest. Her mind was so foggy that she couldn’t be sure who was with her in her room, but she knew there was someone because they were there to help her drink and eat. A week in that blurry state, but she was glad when she started improving in the second. She could see who was helping her and when she realised that she hadn’t seen Leon for several days, she began to feel uneasy. She was sure he had stopped by at least once during that first week but where was he now? Part of her thought maybe he had left her again…before anything really had a chance to start. She guessed it would spare them both the pain if he wasn’t going to stick around. Maybe he was on another mission, but if something happened to him, would she ever know? Or maybe…he never really cared the same way that she did or she misread his concern.

She was plagued by these thoughts for a few nights and days, until something made her wake up in the middle of the night. Looking around as best she could in her weakened state she noticed someone asleep in the armchair next to her bed. She couldn’t make out the figure too well, but instinctively she knew it was him. A weight that she hadn’t realised was there was lifted – he was alright, he was with her and he cared. He looked absolutely tired, but not wanting to disturb him when he’d already fallen asleep she just gently held the hand that lay on top of her bed covers before falling back to sleep. 

Leon woke up groggily as the light started filtering into the room. He’d slept deeply for a whole 8 hours, but rushing through the nights during his trek meant that he had been pretty exhausted by the end of it (not to mention he had already been sleep deprived before going on his mission). Overall he wasn’t sure how well the mission had turned out – he had a lead…who was dead; some good data and information from the Doctor…but no samples of what they were testing; Angela was doing much better…but she still laboured with her breathing. He didn’t quite feel like he was winning right now and looking at her the sweat gathering on her brow, it looked like she still had a fever. He got up to get a cool damp cloth to help wipe away the sweat from her brow and neck and remembered he was covered in sweat too…and mud and the odd twig. Guessing that she wouldn’t be getting up any time soon, he silently padded over to the bathroom – he dealt with her first before deciding a nice hot shower would be just the thing to soothe his aching muscles.

>>>>>>>>

Finishing up with his shower and putting on some fresh clothes, he headed back into Angela’s room and found her awake. It was the first time he’d seen her really up and semi-alert since the dock and it was a relief to see her warm smile as she looked at him.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes this morning.” She said looking at him warmly as she slowly propped herself up a bit more on her pillows to look at him.

He smiled and walked over in a few long strides and sat down next to her, “How are you feeling?”

“Well it doesn’t feel like someone’s stabbing me in the lungs anymore, but I still feel like I’ve been put through a washing machine…Any leads on the investigation?” She really just wanted to ask him where he had been, but where Leon was concerned she found she was very unsure of where she stood. 

“Considering it involved a 5 day hike up a rocky mountain I don’t know if I could call it worthwhile! Our lead is a Doctor who supposedly died in a lab fire. While I do believe his old colleague, who isn’t convinced he’s dead, we have no other leads apart from our special guests …”

“They’re going to be really tough cases to crack Leon. They’ve been interrogating them for the past few days, but for all the reaction and response they’re getting they’d be better off talking to a brick wall!”

“Hm. I think we’re going to need some heavy hitters involved with this. While I’m at it, I’m going to have to meet with your commanding officer. We don’t have time to waste, not if the T-virus is involved…and I suspect it is.”

“…it’s more serious than just the T-virus Leon. They’re using…the G-virus too…” Leon looked shocked and looked like he needed clarification so she pointed him towards her dresser. “Top left drawer, there’s a brown manila folder…which you should see.”

As Leon opened the folder and looked at the contents, she could see him shaking slightly with fury. “Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier Angela?” Leon asked her as he continued to look at the pictures. 

Angela was a bit taken aback by the accusatory tone in his voice, “You mean when I was drowning, or when you weren’t here?”

“Angela…”

“You didn’t exactly leave a number, Leon. I tried to find some way to contact you, but because of my history and our team’s reputation they outright ignored us. We couldn’t just carelessly release that information into the public…cause widespread panic and terror when we had no concrete proof that this was recent or even occurring here. We had to take matters into our own hands - that included putting our lives on the line, or did you forget the fact that two members of my team are out of action for several weeks as a result of their injuries and that I nearly drowned?” she was upset by what he had implied…and it’s not like he left her with a way to contact him.

“I’m sorry Angela, I’m so used to dealing with people who aren’t actually on the same side…I forgot who I was talking to for a moment and let my anger at the situation get the better of me.”

“When I got those photos…I really needed someone else who knew what I went through. I just couldn’t believe it. I never thought I’d ever have to deal with the T-virus again…and it could be so much bigger than Harvardville. Does that mean I’d have to ‘shoot them in the head again’? I just can’t bring myself to do it, use a kill shot on them. They were people once. How do you reconcile that with the fact that maybe somewhere down the line that this could be reversed? And then the nightmares…coming across infected, shooting them in the head and then realising that I’ve just murdered a living person. Seeing the last thing I remember of my brother on those photos…it terrifies me Leon, knowing that someone else may one day have to watch their loved ones turn into one of those…”

“I’m so sorry Angela” he said sitting on the edge of her bed. She wasn’t crying, but she held herself tightly as she looked at the far wall. He knew what she was looking at, the picture of her together with Curtis and his family. Was she imagining their faces decomposed and bloody, Curtis as an unrecognisable monster? Slowly lifting his hand he touched the side of her cheek and gently drew her to look at him as he slowly moved forward. Their lips touched tentatively, another gentle brush against her soft lips before hers parted and they poured their feelings into each other. It was tender and passionate and communicated a need for each other that he hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t long, however, before they parted. Angela needed to stop for air and he was surprised by his emotions that he didn’t continue. They were silent for several moments as they looked at each other, but one of the photographs fluttering to the floor broke their attention.

Bending to pick it up and put it back in the folder Leon could feel a familiar bleak thought raise its ugly head, a thought of never-ending plague, “Do you have any clues at all as to who dropped off the photos?”

“None. The building CCTV and street footage don’t show their face at all. I haven’t received anything since then, but if they’re on the inside I’m sure they’re feeling the heat we’re putting on them all…”

“I don’t want to leave you alone right now…but we need answers and I think it’s time to crank the heat up even more. I’ll be back in a few hours…get some rest…” he gave her hand a quick squeeze as he got up, but they didn’t break contact for a few moments. There were unfinished words between them - something had changed. They could feel it, but neither one wanted to put a voice to it.


	14. Chapter 14 These things we feel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beyond the Wall – Paul Oakenfold  
> I’d come for you – Nickelback

It was late at night when Leon returned. When she heard him quietly enter the apartment, her heart quickened in anticipation. She wanted to go out and see him, speak to him, but ‘only fools rush in’ and her silly heart had been foolish enough. When she heard a gentle knock at her door, she was glad. She could be a bit more honest with her feelings if she knew he wasn’t trying to keep his distance from her. “I’m up,” She called out gently – she didn’t have the strength to put much more force behind it and hoped he heard.

Leon hesitated slightly before entering her room, he had seen the light on and wanted to check on her…but the better she got the more out of place he felt staying with her. The whole situation was starting to feel surreal. Standing in front of her bedroom door like he was now felt too comfortable and…ordinary. Though this was an unusual place for him to be; as a special agent he spent more time on missions than he did his own apartment, so being in another person’s home…especially someone that he had begun to really care about was even more alien to him. Trying to push that aside he walked in to see her propped up on her pillows with papers covering her duvet. “You should be resting Angela,” he said frowning and looking at what she was working on.

“I have been, but I’ve just been breaking up my day with a bit of activity. Else I’m going to go a bit stir-crazy! I’m pretty much finished up here though and I’ll probably be heading to sleep soon, but first…maybe you could tell me…” she hesitated about what to say next. She didn’t want to say ‘tell me about your day’ because it seemed like something a couple would say to each other and right now…he looked as distant as the time they first met each other. “If you have any good news today?”

He pushed his hand through his hair roughly, momentarily displacing the ash-coloured strands. His day had been filled with paperwork and other things he didn’t want to tell Angela about because…he didn’t like what they had done. He had only hesitated for a moment, but that coupled with his body language was sufficient for her to pick up on his reluctance to tell her about his daytime activities.

“Leon…are you alright?” She noticed that he seemed a bit distant and…restrained and she wondered what had happened to make him appear as troubled as he was now. He was patently trying to keep it from rising to the surface, but his cool expression and rigid shoulders conveyed more information than his stoic face intended. “You don’t have to tell me, but it seems like something you’re better off not bottling up. You could have a shower and process it and if you still feel bothered by it, you can talk to me about it… I just want to help you.”

Leon was a bit annoyed about being so transparent with her…but maybe she was just able to see through him. It didn’t do thinking about it just at the moment though, not when he felt like he was intruding on her space. “I think it would be best if I gave you back some breathing room, Angela. I’ve been coming and going through your home like an interloper and it doesn’t feel right,” because he wanted more he realised. “I’ll get set near your headquarters and let Melissa know so she can check in on you instead.”

Angela was upset by his words and her automatic reaction was to think that it was because of some fault of hers. “Did I do something Leon?” When they had shared that kiss earlier in the day, she thought that her feelings were reciprocated and she didn’t know what to think in the aftermath of his statement.

“Angela, it’s…it’s not like that…” he hadn’t intended to hurt her, but he wasn’t prepared to voice his thoughts, especially when it wasn’t clear to himself what he wanted. “This arrangement…I feel like I’m taking advantage of you, I’ve been too comfortable inviting myself into your home.”

Her dejection was eased slightly, but part of her wasn’t completely satisfied. She ignored it and decided that like was too short not to be a fool occasionally, “If you’re just waiting for a formal invitation then I’ll write you one right now Leon. I’m the one who’s felt like I’ve been imposing on you; looking after me at night when you haven’t been off chasing down a lead or something else. And ignoring my being sick, I’ve really come to appreciate having you…in my space. It’s comforting when being faced by the virus again. I’d like it if you stayed... I know the couch probably isn’t that comfortable so if you’d rather get a better night’s sleep elsewhere….”

Despite their obvious chemistry Leon couldn’t seem to stop pulling away. Was it better to let something grow between them and risk hurting her when he had to leave, or douse the spark before it got out of control? It wasn’t a conversation he could have with himself or Angela right now and he opted for the easier route, “It’s reassuring to hear you say that Angela, I’ll continue to impose on you for a while longer then, at least until you’re able to join in the action alongside us again.”

“Is…there anything else that’s bothering you Leon?” It was a throwaway question, but she wanted to spend just a few more minutes with him. 

“Yes, I think you need to go to bed now.” 

His response didn’t satisfy her, especially if he thought that sharing any new information about the investigation would agitate her. “And what if I said I couldn’t rest properly unless you told me what’s on your mind?”

“Angela…” he breathed. He wanted to be able to tell her, but that would mean acknowledging the other thing he didn’t want to think about this evening. It’s not like it would go away though, it never does and he sat down beside her and tousled his hair again as he debated it. 

“We’ve resorted to more severe tactics to try and get some information from the S.F. team. It’s never sat well with me, the approach they take and knowing that I let it happen always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.”

She was silent for a few moments. She didn’t know what he had seen…and frankly she was a little too afraid to ask what lengths the government would go to in the name of the greater good. The level of malice required to defeat evil, “In the ideal world, we would never need to resort to this, but humans are cruel…and we hurt and kill each other. The best I can do is to pursue my truth in a way that will let me look myself in the mirror at the end of the day. I guess you need to ask yourself if you could you live with what you’ve lost?”

It had been a long time since Leon had confided in another person and shared his internal burden; to let them have a glimpse of the things that wouldn’t let him sleep. It was comforting, like a warm hand caressing his cheek. Such a simple gesture with her wise words of advice were like an instant salve and he could feel the fatigue set in almost immediately as some of the tension left him. 

A few moments passed in silence before he took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. “Wise words from an equally wise woman,” Leon looked at her and smiled gently. 

As she smiled in response she reached out and caressed his cheek. He exhaled in satisfaction as the very feeling that had been conjured in his head after he divested himself of his burden came to life. Her hand then trailed down his neck, across his shoulder and along his arm to find his fingers and pull him towards her on the bed.

She didn’t have to say anything more. Her actions spoke as loudly as her words and he allowed himself to be pulled under the covers with her. Laying down he drew her back up against his chest and wrapped his arm around her warm waist. They revelled in feeling each other so close together. The hard and soft come together as the warmth from their bodies seeped into each other; no space separating them. Breathing deeply they were comforted by each other’s scent. They didn’t need to voice the mutual contentment and comfort they both felt at that moment; the feeling of safety and affection; the blissful pleasure of sharing each other’s personal space so intimately. Leon had come to a conclusion quickly after hearing her words, but he’d compartmentalised that away. His solution would wait till the morning. For now he would enjoy this as they both drifted off to sleep.


End file.
